


Paranormally Unsolved

by Jongdaesdimple



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, BaekXing if you squint, Basically Sehun didn't die in a nice way, Blood and Gore, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I must stress the happy ending part, Jealousy, M/M, Magical Realism, Murder, Murder Mystery, Strangers to Lovers, chanyeol is a soft boy, in the past though, mentions of non-con drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:13:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29817891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jongdaesdimple/pseuds/Jongdaesdimple
Summary: Sehun is a ghost who falls in love with his murder detective, Junmyeon. Junmyeon can't see or hear Sehun but that doesn't stop him from falling for Sehun too.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun
Comments: 45
Kudos: 44





	1. Getting Started Again

**Author's Note:**

> Big warning for gore, Sehun was not killed in a nice way and his corpse is described in detail. But I’m not tagging major character death, even though Sehun is a ghost so like *wink wink* there’s a reason. (I consider all EXO members major characters so extra *wink wink*). Also for the sake of this fic, Chanyeol is Sehun’s age.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is real chill and cute like my other fics but that's just this chapter, it has an explicit rating for a reason.

“Hey hyung” Sehun says before sitting beside his friend on the cold concrete bench, not that he can feel it. Ghosts don’t feel anything actually “still here?” 

“Jongin’s still running around so yeah” Kyungsoo smiles “you know he needs a guardian angel pretty often. I’m almost tempted to let him die so we can go to the afterlife together.”

“As if. You’d do anything to keep him alive and healthy” Sehun laughs “and you’re not a guardian angel, you're a ghost with strong unresolved emotions.”

“And you’re stating definitions from old stupid dictionaries written by humans who know nothing about this. I protect him from harm. Guardian angel is the right word” Kyungsoo smiles “he almost tripped on his own shoelace and broke his neck this morning. You’d think he’d be more coordinated with all his years of dance training.”

“I never knew being a ghost would just be me listening to you gush about your husband” Sehun jokes “he still keeps his ring on right?”

“Yes thank god” Kyungsoo says with a sigh “I don’t know how I’d be able to handle him taking it off, even though I just want him to be happy.”

“Even with someone else?” Sehun asks. 

“Yeah” Kyungsoo nods with a sad smile “I’d rather he wait at least a year, maybe two or three.” 

“From what I’ve seen, it’ll take him a lot longer” Sehun smiles comfortingly. 

“Were you spying on him again?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“What else am I supposed to do? The only reason I’m here is that I was murdered but the cops abandoned the case after a couple of weeks since they never found a single lead” Sehun sighs “Jongin’s the most interesting person I can spy on. What’s the point of being a ghost if you can’t spy on a few people from time to time.”

“You could see your family” Kyungsoo suggests. 

“It feels weird, I really don’t remember them well. Most of my life feels like a dream, it’s all foggy. Seeing my family... I don’t know it just feels so wrong.” Sehun explains “I see Chanyeol sometimes but it makes me sad, I can see how hurt he is by what happened. I miss him.”

“I can’t believe the psychopath who killed you got away with it” Kyungsoo says angrily “I mean the way your body was-“

“I don’t want to talk about it” Sehun interrupts. 

“I thought you said you didn’t remember any of it” Kyungsoo says in a concerned tone “do you remember some of it now?” 

“No I still don’t, none of it but I’ve seen the police report and all the details of... everything still makes me kinda queasy” Sehun says looking out on the street “I’d rather not think about it. It was all I had for years but now I have you. Not that I’m glad you died or anything but I don’t know it’s nice to be able to  _ stop _ thinking about it. So now I’d rather not bring it up again.”

“So what you’re saying is you  _ do _ want to hear me gush about my husband.” Kyungsoo smiles. 

“Maybe” Sehun laughs. 

All of a sudden Sehun feels something deep in his stomach. Like a tugging feeling almost. He’s felt this before, any time the cops were working his case but it’s been abandoned for years... unless. 

“Sehun?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I have to go, I think something’s up” Sehun answers. 

“Cause related?” Kyungsoo asks. 

Cause is the word Kyungsoo and Sehun use to refer to that feeling they get, the feeling tied to the reason they're still on earth. Kyungsoo’s Cause is always related to his husband being in danger, Sehun’s is anything related to the murder case. 

“Yeah” Sehun nods before getting up. 

Sehun focuses on the feeling, the tugging. Once he finds the direction he flies straight towards it. Sehun’s gotten used to flying through things, he doesn’t wince or flinch as he approaches brick walls but he doesn’t really appreciate the feeling of going through them. Still feels uncomfortable but right now he wants to get to the source of the Cause right away. As he flies, Sehun starts recognizing the streets and buildings, he’s almost certain he’s headed to the police precinct. Which means they’re getting involved again or maybe his killer struck again. Sehun hopes it’s not the ladder. 

Once Sehun arrives at the police station it’s a little harder to figure out where he needs to go. It’s a big building with a ton of rooms but Sehun has an idea. Sehun’s case should be in archives or somewhere near there, even if it’s been opened. Sehun also feels a small tug down towards the basement so his theory seems to be decent. Sehun searches the basement for his Cause. A few cops are walking around but it doesn’t seem to be any of them. 

Sehun turns the corner and sees... someone, a cop obviously based on the badge around his neck but he’s different somehow. Sehun would be breathless at the sight if he was breathing to start with. This guy-cop is gorgeous, like Allure May 2020 magazine cover gorgeous. He has medium-length black hair that covers part of his forehead, it almost looks windswept. He has some intense eyebrows that remind Sehun sorta of Kyungsoo except this guy’s eyebrows are more angular. All of his features just look perfect. His shirt fits him so well, it accentuates his wide shoulders and small waist, the way it’s tucked into his dress pants suits him so well. Sehun’s so wrapped up in this guy that he doesn’t even move when he walks right through him. It’s only then that Sehun notices the guy is holding a folder. Sehun flies over to the guy to look at it and he notices his name written on the front. This detective is his Cause.

Sehun follows the detective up some stairs, through the bullpen, and to his desk. It’s not very interesting, no real knick-knacks on display, no photos either but there is a little bunny figurine. Either the guy is new or really into minimalism. 

“Hey Junmyeon” A detective Sehun recognizes says... he has kitty eyes, curly hair... but what was his name? Oh! Minseok “sorry you’re being given a cold case.”

“It’s a right of passage right? The first case in this precinct is always a cold case. At least until someone takes pity on me.” The hot detective-  _ Junmyeon _ answers. 

“They better take pity on you soon because you did not pick an easy case.” Minseok frowns. 

“Any leads at all?” Junmyeon asks without even opening the file. 

“Not really, they figured out what the murder weapon was but they couldn’t find it. No clear motive either” Minseok explains “not an easy case to deal with emotionally either. Poor kid, what happened to him was awful.”

Sehun takes offense to that, he was not a kid, he was 21. Too young to die but not a child. 

“Now I’m a little scared to open this” Junmyeon frowns and Sehun doesn’t blame him, even he doesn’t want to see it again. 

“Best not to do it on a full stomach” Minseok grimaces “well I have to get back to work but good luck, hopefully, you’ll find a clue no one else did.”

“Thanks” Junmyeon smiles as Minseok walks away. 

Junmyeon takes a deep breath before opening up the file. The thing at the very front is the pictures of the crime scene and they are brutal, Sehun has to look away. 

“Oh God” Junmyeon says quietly before he takes out the photos and lays them all out on the desk so he can look at all of them at once. 

Sehun keeps his eyes off Junmyeon’s desk and instead focuses on Junmyeon’s face as he goes through all the information. Junmyeon seems to be able to push away his emotions rather quickly. While he does wince a few times, he mostly studies the photos methodically, sometimes picking them up to see them better. After Junmyeon looks through all the photos carefully, he puts them in a neat pile before moving onto the rest of the report. 

“Oh Sehun, age 21, university student. Ok” Junmyeon nods as he reads through it “No known enemies.”

Sehun sighs, he knows no one in his life would be capable of murdering him. Sure some people didn’t get along that well with him but none of them would kill him, maybe smack him but not murder. Sehun has always been convinced he has never met his murder before that night. Of course, he doesn’t remember it though so he can’t be sure. 

“Everyone in his life had solid alibis...” Junmyeon sighs. 

“It wasn’t any of my friends. I promise you that” Sehun scoffs. 

“This is the work of a psychopath, none of his friends fit the profile” Junmeyon concludes “Everything about this murder screams psychopath or serial killer, why didn’t they look into that?”

“Because they couldn’t find a suspect that fit the bill” Sehun answers even though he knows Junmyeon can’t hear him “And they only found my body so not a serial killer.”

“Sehun was the only victim” Junmeyon echos Sehun’s earlier words “None found since then either...”

“Nope and I’d know because I’d get a Cause” Sehun nods “...pretty sure.”

“So if it’s only Sehun... why Sehun? Why him?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Been asking myself that question for a while” Sehun sighs. 

“I need to talk to his friend, there has to be a reason why it was him” Junmyeon says getting up. 

“Oh no not this again” Sehun frowns “I hate seeing Chanyeol getting sad.”

Sehun follows Junmyeon out of the precinct. When Junmyeon gets into the car, Sehun gets in too. Back when they were doing the investigation for the first time, Sehun wasn’t very experienced being a ghost so when he tried to sit in the car seats, the car would drive away without him. Sehun has learned a lot in the last 3 years, sitting in cars included. 

“Do you not listen to any music while you drive?” Sehun asks as he watches Junmyeon drive. 

Junmyeon turns his attention from the road for a second just to hit play on his car display. The music starts playing and Sehun smiles, he likes when coincidences like that happen. Makes him feel more connected with the living world. Sehun is a bit surprised with Junmyeon’s music choice. The soft sounds of a heartbreaking ballad fill the car, it’s truly beautiful and Sehun likes it a lot, he’d prefer something a little happier but he can recognize the beauty of the song. 

Soon enough they arrive at Chanyeol’s apartment. Sehun feels his heart getting heavy. He was his best friend, they lived together. Chanyeol hasn’t been the same since Sehun’s death, even 3 years later, he hasn’t recovered. 

Sehun follows Junmyeon up to the apartment and watches as Junmyeon knocks on the door. 

“Go easy on him, he’s had a rough time” Sehun says quietly. 

The door opens and Sehun frowns, it looks like Chanyeol hasn’t been sleeping well. Any time he had trouble sleeping before, Sehun would usually try to help him out or just stay away with him so he wouldn’t be lonely but now... It hurts to see. 

“Hello?” Chanyeol says opening the door a bit. 

“I’m detective Junmyeon, I’m here to ask a few questions about Sehun if that’s ok” Junmyeon says softly while showing his badge.

“Uh yeah ok” Chanyeol nods before opening the door “Come in.”

Junmyeon and Sehun enter the apartment and follow Chanyeol before sitting down on the couch in the living room. 

“Are there any leads?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Not yet” Junmyeon answers “Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help though. Anything you can tell me would be helpful.”

“I’ll answer any question” Chanyeol agrees.

“The file said he didn’t have any enemies but I was wondering if you had any idea who it could have been” Junmyeon says while pulling out a notepad and pen. 

“I don’t think I know anyone who’s capable of doing what the killer did to Sehun” Chanyeol shakes his head “He was a really great person. I don’t see how anyone could kill him let alone- uh sorry it’s still hard to talk about sometimes.”

“Chanyeol” Sehun says softly, wishing he could comfort his friend. 

“I’m sorry for opening old wounds” Junmyeon frowns. 

“It’s ok, there’s even a chance it’ll help give Sehun some justice, I can handle it” Chanyeol pauses “I have something, pictures if you want to see who he was.”

“That would be helpful” Junmyeon says with a small smile. 

Chanyeol takes out his phone and pulls up an album before sitting beside Junmyeon to show the photos. 

“I met him in high school” Chanyeol explains showing some photos from their high school days “He was kind of weird, everyone liked him but he didn’t really want to talk to many people. He said he was introverted so he didn’t want to start any conversations but he liked all the attention.”

“So he wanted to be appreciated but from afar?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah” Chanyeol laughs “He only picked a few people that he actually wanted to be friends with. I was lucky to be one of them, he was a great friend. The kind that you might think doesn’t care about you that much but then he just does something that shows he really cares a lot. He liked to joke around a lot. He liked to say it was ok to bother me because I always understood it.”

“I’m right” Sehun chuckles. 

“He was right, it was fun. Playful.” Chanyeol adds.

“Do you think his attitude upset anyone else though?” Junmyeon asks “Someone who wasn’t understanding?”

“No” Chanyeol shakes his head “Everyone liked him, even if he didn’t talk to them.”

“Did he party a lot?” Junmyeon asks. 

“He liked to drink, a lot” Chanyeol half smiles “Sometimes he just drank alone, sometimes with our friends but he wasn’t really into big crowds.”

“Was he drinking alone the night he was murdered?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I think so” Chanyeol frowns “I wasn’t there, I was visiting my family but he texted me a couple times that night, they weren't really coherent. He used to text a lot of nonsense when he was drunk so I didn't think it was weird, seemed like he was drinking and the police said they found alcohol in his system... along with the ketamine.”

“He didn’t do drugs though, did he?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Never” Chanyeol answers “Police said he was probably roofied.”

“It seems like it” Junmyeon nods “Did anyone else have a key to your apartment at the time?”

“Um not that I know of” Chanyeol answers “The landlord, he would have.”

“Your 76-year-old landlord?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah, he’s not exactly a suspect” Chanyeol smiles “But I guess he could have made copies or something.”

“Is it possible Sehun just let his killer in?” Junmyeon asks. 

“If he was drunk... he might have” Chanyeol says taking a deep breath “I told him to stop drinking alone but he never listened.”

“I’m sorry” Sehun frowns. 

“The murder was clearly premeditated, even if Sehun hadn’t let the killer in- it wasn’t his fault anyway” Junmyeon says trying to comfort Chanyeol “not yours either.”

“I just wish I could have done something” Chanyeol says as his voice breaks a bit. 

“I’m glad you didn’t, I wouldn’t want you to be stuck in limbo with me” Sehun whispers to himself. 

“Was there anything suspicious around Sehun, anyone new in his life, or anything he may have been hiding from you?” Junmyeon asks. 

“He wouldn’t hide anything from me, he’s terrible at lying to me.” Chanyeol answers. 

“His killer picked him for a reason, is there anything that made him a target?” Junmyeon asks “Anything that could attract someone who just wanted to commit murder without a real motive?” 

“He was tall? Handsome?” Chanyeol offers.

“You’re tall too” Junmyeon nods “was he taller?”

“He wishes” Chanyeol laughs. 

“False, I do not want your bow legs. I’m very happy with the way I look” Sehun rolls his eyes. 

“He doesn’t strike me as the type to be jealous” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Thank you, I like this detective” Sehun says with a smug smile.

“You’re right” Chanyeol laughs lightly. 

“Well thank you for talking to me Chanyeol, if you have anything else you think of that might help. Feel free to call” Junmyeon says handing Chanyeol a business card. 

“Thanks” Chanyeol says taking the card “I hope you find the killer.”

“I hope so too” Junmyeon answers while walking away before he turns back “Could you send me some of the pictures of Sehun and any social media that’s still active? My email’s on the card too.”

“Yeah” Chanyeol nods “I’ll do that.”

“Thank you” Junmyeon says before leaving for real. 

“Why do you need my social media” Sehun whines “I posted some really stupid stuff.”


	2. That's Rough

When Junmyeon gets back to the precinct from interviewing Chanyeol, he just ends up going through the file with his new notes for about 30 minutes before his shift is over so Sehun decides to go find Kyungsoo to tell him about everything. Sehun heads straight for Jongin’s house because there’s a 90% chance that’s where Kyungsoo is. 

Sure enough, Sehun finds Kyungsoo sitting on Jongin’s couch right beside him, staring at his face while Jongin watches Netflix. 

“Sehun?” Kyungsoo asks looking up. 

“There’s a new detective on my case” Sehun says, waiting for Kyungsoo to get up and float over to Sehun’s side of the living room. 

“They reopened the case?” Kyungsoo says flying over. 

“Not exactly” Sehun shakes his head “No new leads, they just make new detectives take on cold cases apparently. My case happened to be chosen.”

“So is this a good thing?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I think so. I like this detective” Sehun nods “Even if he doesn’t find any new insight, it’ll still be nice to see him work.”

“You _like_ him? Is he going to be your new little human obsession?” Kyungsoo smirks. 

“You’re just jealous of me hanging around your husband so much” Sehun laughs “Jongin is so not my type.”

“Why not?” Kyungsoo says, looking a little angry.

“There is no good way to answer that question without pissing you off, this is a trap” Sehun says raising his hands defensively “but yeah, Junmyeon is attractive, sue me.”

“You know you can’t really have a relationship with him right? He can’t see you” Kyungsoo answers. 

“You’re perfectly fine staring at Jongin when he can’t see you, let me have Junmyeon and my delusions ok?” Sehun pouts “There’s not much else to do while I’m like this.”

“What if you found a ghost?” Kyungsoo suggests. 

“You’re the only other ghost I’ve met who isn’t insane” Sehun explains “And I don’t think either of us want a relationship.”

“I’m literally married” Kyungsoo says, holding up his ring. 

“Exactly so let me crush on Junmyeon” Sehun smiles “One-sided or not, I will enjoy it.”

“Alright then go run off and try to find out where he lives” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“I saw his address in his car, it’s pretty close to here” Sehun explains. 

“You’re kind of a cree-” Kyungsoo starts but is cut off by the sound of Jongin coughing. 

Sehun and Kyungsoo quickly turn their attention to the human. Kyungsoo rushes over and starts trying to hit Jongin between his shoulder blades, the first few tries just go right through Jongin but Kyungsoo manages to make contact on the third try, he hits Jongin five times hard until Jongin coughs up a small piece of popcorn. 

“Oh god” Jongin says while trying to regain his breath “That’s enough popcorn for today.”

“Agreed honey, go drink some water” Kyungsoo smiles while looking at his husband. 

“I should get something to drink” Jongin says with his slightly scratchy voice. 

“How do you do that?” Sehun asks. 

“Watch him almost die? I don’t know it gets hard but at least I prevent it” Kyungsoo sighs as Jongin gets up to grab some water from the kitchen.

“No, I mean make contact” Sehun answers “You touched him.”

“If you want it enough, it’ll happen” Kyungsoo answers cryptically. 

“Not very helpful” Sehun mumbles. 

“I don’t know what else to say, that’s all I know” Kyungsoo shrugs “We weren’t given manuels to living as ghosts.”

“I wish we were” Sehun sighs.

“Me too but no use whining about something that won’t happen” Kyungsoo says “Don’t you have a detective to stalk?”

“You’re just trying to get me to leave before he strips into his PJs.” Sehun rolls his eyes. 

“That sight is for me and Jongin only” Kyungsoo agrees “So go.”

“Alright bye hyung” Sehun laughs before leaving. 

Sehun flies out of Jongin’s house and strolls over to Junmyeon’s apartment building. Once Sehun found the right place, he looks around for the apartment number. The building looks decent, it’s not luxurious but it’s not a bad place. He finds the right number and goes through the door. Junmyeon’s apartment is pretty messy actually but other than that it’s in a good state. Not very spacious though, Junmyeon’s salary probably isn’t very large. 

Sehun pokes around a few rooms before he finds Junmyeon in his bedroom on his laptop. Sehun is a little worried he’s intruding until he sees Sehun’s case file on the desk as well. 

“You don’t stop working do you?” Sehun laughs before moving to float beside Junmyeon’s chair “You could do this at work tomorrow, it’s not like this is time-sensitive. I won’t become any less dead.”

“Looks like he figured out how to use the zoom feature on iPhones” Junmyeon laughs pulling up the video on Instagram. 

“Hey! I took that right after the update, it was a new thing” Sehun says defensively “I stand by that video it was funny.”

Junmyeon continues to scroll and Sehun starts to wish he could be alive again just to delete some photos. Junmyeon pulls up a picture of Sehun in a suit, sitting on the ground surrounded by cherry blossom petals. His face isn’t in the shot which makes it look kinda like a thirst trap... that might actually have been Sehun’s intent but in his defense, Chanyeol said he looked good. Now he’s a little embarrassed for the detective to be looking at it. 

“Chanyeol was right about him being attractive” Junmyeon mumbles. 

“Oh?” Sehun smirks, the embarrassment quickly replaced with pride “You think? I think you’re very handsome too. We should go out don’t you think?”

“Is he pretending to make a phone call using a banana?” Junmyeon asks, pulling up another photo. 

“Ok enough of that, go back to my thirst traps, there are a couple shirtless pics, look at those” Sehun complains while trying to cover the screen with his transparent hands. He does cause the screen to freak out a bit as if there was magnetic interference on an old TV screen. 

“What the heck?” Junmyeon says trying to see what’s wrong with his screen. Sehun moves his hands away and it stops “weird.”

“You say heck? Is hell too strong?” Sehun smiles at Junmyeon’s cute language “Maybe you should stick to gosh.”

“Oh” Junmyeon stumbles on his first shirtless pic. 

“Yeah, I’m hot right?” Sehun asks. 

“He’s so young, is this even legal?” Junmyeon asks looking at the date. 

“Hey! All you detectives like to call me young but I’m an adult. I’m 24 now! I think... I don’t know if that’s how it works but I would be 24” Sehun says trying to wrap his mind around it. 

Junmyeon scrolls up and looks through more meaningless photos of random objects Sehun took pictures of, a couple of selfies but Junmyeon seems to linger a little longer on the photos of Sehun and Chanyeol. 

“They look happy” Junmyeon comments, looking at the two of them at a restaurant. 

“We were” Sehun smiles “That was after our graduation, we had a little celebratory dinner. Our parents agreed to pay so we went a little crazy. They were pissed but it was worth it.”

“Wow” Junmyeon smiles looking at a picture of Chanyeol and Sehun wearing the exact same outfit, messing around on empty bellboy luggage trollies “They really were close.”

“He was like my brother” Sehun nods “I have a real brother and that’s what I would tell him any time he would say we were like real brothers but I just said that to mess with him. I was closer with him than my real brother. We did everything together. He’s who I remember best, everyone else is fuzzy but not Chanyeol. I guess he was just the most important person to me so that’s why. I wouldn’t-couldn’t let go of my memories with him.”

“His 21st birthday” Junmyeon smiles looking at the video of Sehun blowing out his candles. 

“I got pretty drunk that night” Sehun laughs. 

“This was a bad idea” Junmyeon says, closing the tab.

“Why?” Sehun asks while carefully studying Junmyeon’s face. 

“God, I feel like I know him” Junmyeon frowns. 

“You kind of do, there’s not much more” Sehun laughs “Well there is but nothing you can learn without talking to me.”

“He-” Junmyeon says taking a deep breath “That was his last birthday. I watched the last time he ever blew out candles.”

“I mean I celebrated my other ones too. No candles but I had Kyungsoo for the last one. We had a mini party sorta” Sehun says trying not to let Junmyeon’s sadness get to him. 

“He didn’t deserve any of this, Chanyeol didn’t either” Junmyeon says before looking over at the file.

“Don’t look at the pictures” Sehun warns.

Junmyeon obviously doesn’t hear Sehun and he opens the file anyway and looks at the gruesome photos. Sehun’s body lain out of Chanyeol and Sehun’s round rug, blood soaking every fiber of the thing. His shirt ripped off and thrown to the side but there’s blood on it too, clearly, it was taken off after the cutting started. Probably to give more access to Sehun’s chest which is cut in many places. None of the cuts were clean, all done with the same sharp blade but nowhere near as sharp as a scalpel. The knife tore through a lot of flesh rather than slicing it, giving each wound a hacked-up, nauseating appearance. A huge deep gash across his stomach where a lot of the blood came from meaning it was probably the first cut. There were smaller ones right where every single rib was, the bone showing through the cut. Sehun heard the medical examiner say the cuts even left marks on the bones which means the killer purposefully cut through not only the skin but all the layers of muscles. There is a long cut down from the top of Sehun’s chest to the gash across his stomach. That cut starts off almost looking clean but by the time the killer cut past his rib cage they must have pushed down with more force because it gets very jagged, the skin looks torn rather than cut. Some of his internal organs are visible in the photo but the sheer amount of blood filling the cavity obscures most of them. His arms are hacked off his body and left beside him to bleed everywhere. The white bones in his shoulders shine through the destroyed flesh in a way that they never should. The whole sight makes Sehun want to throw up but he can’t since he’s a ghost. The worst part by far is his face though, or lack thereof. The killer cut the skin off, leaving nothing but a bloody fleshy thing where his face should be. The killer also gouged out his eyes, they never did find where his eyes went and it terrifies Sehun to think about why the killer might have kept them. Sehun is very happy he doesn’t remember this, he never wants to regain that memory. The medical examiner insists Sehun must have been drugged to the point where he wasn’t conscious because while Sehun certainly wasn’t moving while this was happening, he wasn’t dead for most of the cuts. They know for sure it wasn’t an overdose that killed Sehun, it was blood loss. 

“You can’t even tell it’s him.” Junmyeon says softly “His beautiful face, his eyes-”

Junmyeon pauses to let out a shaky breath as tears start to form in his eyes. 

“Why would anyone do this to him? Not only murder him but destroy him, remove his identity and erase his humanity.” Junmyeon says in a shaky voice “He wasn’t involved with drugs or gangs or cults. This didn’t send a message to anyone. He was just a university student who enjoyed spending time with his best friend. He liked going out to dinner, playing dumb games. He didn’t do anything to deserve-”

Junmyeon stops talking as his tears roll down his face. Sehun feels the same pain in his chest. He’s not even sad for himself, he’s sad for Junmyeon. He looks so broken up about it. 

“I’m ok” Sehun says with a sad voice “Being a ghost isn’t the best but I have Kyungsoo now and really I’m ok. I’m right here. My murder couldn’t take away who I am. They took my life but not me. I’m still here and I’ll always have existed. Please don’t cry.”

“21” Junmyeon says looking at the photos “He couldn’t get married or have kids or graduate or anything else he would have done. His whole life was stolen from him.”

“I lived happily” Sehun tries to insist. 

“At least he had a happy life.” Junmyeon adds. 

“Yeah see?” Sehun says, forcing a smile “It’s not all bad.”

“Chanyeol must be- I can’t even imagine” Junmyeon says as a fresh stream of tears falls down his face. 

“Please don’t bring him into this” Sehun chokes “You can talk about how my murder cut me open to bleed to death while I was alive and tore my arms off but don’t bring Chanyeol into this. Chanyeol’s pain is real, I can’t remember mine. He suffers every day.”

“Who could do this to him? They’re getting away with it too. They live their life knowing they did this with no consequences” Junmyeon sobs “I can’t- I can’t let them. I need to find that person so they can rot in jail for what they’ve done to Sehun. I have to!” 

“Please don’t take responsibility” Sehun says before holding Junmyeon’s face in his hands and kissing Junmyeon’s tears. To Sehun’s surprise, he actually feels something against his lips, Junmyeon’s cheek. When he pulls away he feels the wetness of his tears on his lips. 

“What?” Junmyeon asks before touching his cheek right where Sehun kissed it “I thought- I no that doesn’t make sense.”

“I guess I wanted it enough” Sehun says out loud to himself “Please don’t cry over this. I don’t want to cause any more pain.”

“I need to go to bed” Junmyeon says, closing the file “I can’t keep thinking about him. I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Junmyeon” Sehun says, reaching out for his cheek. 

Junmyeon pauses for a second as if he’s trying to figure something out but shortly after he shakes his head and walks right through Sehun as if he doesn’t exist. In a way he doesn't, Sehun's not real. He’s only in limbo until his killer is found, he’ll never be real again. Never be able to touch anyone, talk to Chanyeol or go out drinking. Nothing, he’ll never be human. Just a memory floating around. Sehun starts crying for real for the first time that night. He doesn’t want to be a memory, especially not the painful one he is. Sehun almost wishes the murder did erase him for real, then his death wouldn’t be constantly hurting everyone he cares about. 

~=+•+=~

That night it takes Kyungsoo hours to calm Sehun down but he manages it. Ghosts don’t sleep but Sehun feels exhausted, he wants to sleep. He was a short break from consciousness just so he can forget his life- existence for a minute. 

“I’m sorry Sehunnie” Kyungsoo mumbles while hugging his friend “it’s not easy to deal with death.”

“Denial works until it doesn’t” Sehun says softly. 

“Maybe go back to denial?” Kyungsoo offers “I really don’t think our brains are designed to handle being dead.”

“I don’t have a brain” Sehun cries “I’m nothing.”

“That’s not true, if you were nothing I wouldn’t be holding you. You’re nothing but you, no meat suit just 100% Sehun.” Kyungsoo comforts “that better in a way, isn’t it? No one can hurt you anymore.” 

“I feel hurt” Sehun mumbles. 

“That’s because you hurt yourself” Kyungsoo says holding a little tighter “you are real Sehun, you’re not physical but you’re real and you’re my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Probably never leave your husband alone” Sehun jokes “even though he can’t see you, he needs some space sometimes.” 

“Brat” Kyungsoo laughs “are you feeling better?”

“A bit” Sehun nods as he leaves Kyungsoo’s arms. 

“Good” Kyungsoo smiles “now let’s go find someone with a TV on and watch something.”

“Ok” Sehun smiles. 

Kyungsoo and Sehun find a little party down the street that is pulling a Harry Potter all-night marathon. They missed the first movie and half of the second but it’s not like they haven’t watched them a bunch of times anyway. Sehun really wishes he could be like the ghosts in Harry Potter. He wishes Junmyeon could see him, that would be great. He wouldn’t want to be a ghost with all his... injuries though. That would be horrifying, he’s glad he doesn’t look like that. 

By the end of the night, almost everyone in the party is asleep and Kyungsoo decides to go check up on Jongin. Sehun heads straight for Junmyeon’s apartment. He’s got to be up by now right? 

Sehun flies over to Junmyeon’s apartment and luckily Junmyeon is awake so Sehun doesn’t have to wander around his apartment while he waits for Junmyeon to wake up. Junmyeon looks exhausted and Sehun seriously hopes he wasn’t haunted by what happened last night. Junmyeon drinks his coffee and groans. 

“Yeah I never really liked coffee either, you should switch to tea” Sehun suggests “tastes better.” 

“I’m not sure what to follow up on” Junmyeon sighs “already talked to Chanyeol and Sehun’s family is supposed to call me back...”

“You need a life outside of work” Sehun frowns “I am more than happy to be what you’re thinking about when you go to sleep and when you wake up but not like this.”

“Might just go straight to Baekhyun” Junmyeon mumbles “why am I talking to myself? I need more caffeine clearly.” 

“Baekhyun? Who’s Baekhyun?” Sehun asks “why does that name sound familiar?”

Junmyeon doesn’t say anything else but Sehun watches him eat, asking him various questions just so he can feel included. 

“Is that tasty? I hope it is. You know you need to have a good meal to work properly.” Sehun comments “you said you had to catch my killer so you better eat well.”

“I’m gonna be late” Junmyeon sighs. 

“It’s fine, you’re going straight to this Baekhyun person, right? So it’s no big deal he won’t report you for being late.” Sehun comments. 

“Wait Baekhyun won’t care” Junmyeon laughs. 

Sehun loves Junmyeon’s laugh, it’s really contagious and it always seems so pure. Junmyeon leaves the apartment and Sehun follows him. Junmyeon plays his sad beautiful ballads and Sehun feels like he can get used to this. He really hopes Junmyeon won’t be pitied and pulled off the case too soon. Even if he is, Sehun’s going to follow him around, he’s got nothing better to do and maybe he can do what Kyungsoo does and just protect Junmyeon while he’s working. That would give him a good purpose for his afterlife. 

Once they arrive, they enter the building together and Sehun remembers why he knows the name Baekhyun. Baekhyun is the medical examiner who... dealt with Sehun’s body. It makes sense that Junmyeon wants to talk to him. 

“Hey Baekhyun” Junmyeon smiles, walking into Baekhyun’s morgue. 

“Hyung” Baekhyun smiles “What brings you here?”

“I’m a detective now” Junmyeon announces “I was hoping you could help with my case. I need some information about a body.”

“Which one?” Baekhyun asks “If the body was supposed to arrive today, it’s not here yet.”

“No, this is an old one, not in the morgue” Junmyeon explains. 

“So now I’m not young” Sehun laughs to himself.

“Oh, you were put on a cold case as your first one huh?” Baekhyun says leaning on a nearby wall. 

“Yup, a case you worked on a couple years back” Junmyeon answers “Oh Sehun.”

“Who? Arson victim?” Baekhyun asks. 

“I’m offended you don’t remember” Sehun huffs “but I guess you didn’t get to see my beautiful face so you get a pass.”

“No, much worse” Junmyeon says taking a deep breath “He uh had his eyes gouged out, among other things.”

“Oh” Baekhyun says while racking his memories “Oh! Oh no. You chose that case? Can’t you switch?”

“Rude, Junmyeon loves me he won’t switch” Sehun huffs. 

“He deserves justice” Junmyeon answers. 

“You’re right about that. I didn’t hear a whole lot about the case but I know it was just awful” Baekhyun says crossing his arms. 

“Could you tell me about the case?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Is that the file?” Baekhyun asks looking at the file in Junmyeon’s arms “I could use a bit of a refresher.”

“Yup” Junmyeon says, handing the file to Baekhyun. 

“Just like I remember” Baekhyun frowns at the photos and looks over some of the notes before handing the file back “It was a mess. I can’t tell you much more than what’s in the file but there were some details that weren’t quite professional enough to make it into the file.”

“What details?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Whoever did this had a plan and it was very detailed” Baekhyun starts “Sehun would have bled out quickly but it seems like they wanted to make as many cuts as possible while he was alive. The drugs slowed his heart rate but it wouldn’t have helped keep him alive for long.”

“Someone wanted him to feel it?” Junmyeon asks, almost incapable of getting the words out.

“No” Baekhyun shakes his head “If Sehun felt it, he would have probably struggled and the killer knew that. Sehun wasn’t restrained with anything, he was just heavily drugged. The only good thing is he didn’t feel a thing... probably.”

“Then why did his killer want him alive while the cuts were made?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I have no idea, maybe the asshole got off on knowing Sehun was alive, maybe he just liked the way-” Baekhyun pauses “Sorry this is just so fucked up. The killer might have liked the way he was bleeding when his heart was beating. Sehun died before his arms were removed though.”

“Do you know why anyone would do any of this?” Junmyeon asks. 

“No idea” Baekhyun shakes his head “but they had a good understanding of the human body, they knew where every single rib was, they knew what cuts to make to more easily remove arms. The person did research.”

“Are you saying they worked in the medical field?” Junmyeon asks. 

“No, it could be anyone. It’s not that hard to learn this information” Baekhyun answers. 

“That doesn’t really narrow it down” Junmyeon sighs. 

“I know, that’s why there weren’t any leads, the killer didn’t leave any evidence behind either. Not even a single hair.” Baekhyun frowns “I can tell you the killer was definitely strong, Sehun was thin but he had a significant amount of muscle.”

“Junmyeon already knows I’m muscular, no need to tell him” Sehun smiles trying to lighten the mood even though they can’t hear him. 

“If the knife were heated up would it make it easier?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yes but then there would be signs of the tissue being heated up, there would be cauterization” Baekhyun answers “The killer used a knife at room temperature and the killer didn’t use a sharpened blade either so strength was really needed, the exact type of knife is in the file too. Some sort of kitchen knife. The eyes were taken out using the same knife too, post mortem.”

“Kitchen utility knife matched the shape of the blade that made the cuts” Junmyeon says, reading the file. 

“Right” Baekhyun nods “That’s about all I know. Oh, and it was definitely just one person doing the cutting.”

“Ok” Junmyeon says, closing the file “Thanks Baekhyun.”

“No problem” Baekhyun says with a small professional smile “I really hope you catch who did this. It’s honestly terrifying thinking they're free walking around in the world.”

“No one else was killed with the same M.O” Junmyeon says trying to comfort Baekhyun. 

“Doesn’t matter” Baekhyun shakes his head “The fact someone in the world is able to pretend like they’re a normal person when they’ve done this... it’s disturbing.”

“I understand that” Junmyeon nods “I’ll let you know if I end up finding anything.”

“Thanks, hyung” Baekhyun smiles a bit. 

“I really hope I haven't seen the person who killed me” Sehun says as Junmyeon walks out “Like after I died I mean, I obviously saw them the night of my death.” 

“What next?” Junmyeon mumbles. 

“We could exchange theories” Sehun smiles “Based on the fact the killer hasn’t killed anyone else, at least not with the same M.O, the murder wasn’t doing it because they were into it. I think there’s a different reason.”

“If a killer only kills once, then it’s personal” Junmyeon says as they continue to walk “but no one had a reason to kill Sehun so it wasn’t about him. Who decides to kill someone at random but isn’t into butchering people.”

“I don’t like that adjective, little too graphic” Sehun grimaces “I’d like to pretend I died in a different way.”

“Must be something about the eyes... they took the eyes for some reason” Junmyeon pauses “It could have been ritualistic.”

“Like demons or magic?” Sehun asks “I don’t think demons are real, I feel like I’d see them but magic...”

“Why didn’t any of the other detectives think of this?” Junmyeon asks himself. 

“They weren’t as smart as you” Sehun says trying to grab Junmyeon’s arm affectionately but he just falls right through Junmyeon and lands on the ground “ok ow.”

“Maybe they did and it just didn’t pan out” Junmyeon sighs as Sehun gets up “Best to look into it anyway.”

“I don’t think they thought of it but it was a while ago and none of them were as attractive as you so I didn’t follow them around 24/7” Sehun smiles “Well actually Minseok hyung is pretty hot but I’d still pick you over him.”

Junmyeon picks up his pace once they step out of the building. 

“I wish you would at least smile or something so I could pretend you heard me” Sehun sighs before catching up with Junmyeon. 

Once they’re in the car, Junmyeon uses the car to call Minseok and he starts driving. Sehun smiles knowing he’ll be able to hear this conversation. 

“You’re late” Minseok laughs, answering the phone “What excuse do you want me to tell the captain?”

“Not late actually, I was at the morgue to talk to Baekhyun. The captain knows” Junmyeon smiles “I wanted to talk to you about Sehun’s case actually.”

“I think I wrote everything I knew in the file but I’ll help if I can” Minseok answers. 

“Do you know if anyone looked into if the death followed a ritualistic pattern?” Junmyeon asks. 

“There weren’t any symbols on him or anything like that” Minseok answers “Why do you think it’s ritualistic?”

“It’s just a theory I had that could explain motive and the fact there were no other bodies like it” Junmyeon answers. 

“It’s because you’re smart” Sehun flirts “total package.”

“If it were a ritual don’t you think other bodies would show up with the same pattern of cuts? Even if they were done by different people” Minseok questions.

“Maybe someone went rogue in a cult.” Junmyeon offers. 

“I feel like everyone in a cult is rogue” Minseok laughs “We didn’t look into the ritual thing but if you think it might be that, for sure check it out. I have a contact at the university who studies cults, maybe he can help.”

“Can you send me his number?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah, I’ll do that right away” Minseok answers.

“Thanks, bye” Junmyeon says before Minseok hangs up. 

“You’ll have to pull over, can’t call the university dude if you’re driving” Sehun says “I would try to do it for you but I think that would freak you out and technology does not like me.”

Junmyeon pulls into the nearest parking lot to call Minseok’s contact. Apparently, his name is Dr. Kim Jongdae and he’s not currently in class so Junmyeon calls his captain to let him know where he’s going and then the car is back on the road. Sad ballads and all.

“You got further with this case in two days than the other detectives did in weeks” Sehun smiles “Of course they didn’t have all the results right away the way you do but still.”

“I really hope this ritual thing pans out” Junmyeon seemingly responds.

“Yeah me too. Not that I really care why I died but I like the idea that you’ll get credit for solving it” Sehun says “Also I’ll get to pass onto the afterlife so I guess that’s cool. You won’t be there though so how good can it be?”

Junmyeon doesn’t say anything back, in fact, he doesn’t say anything at all for the rest of the car ride. Which makes sense since he doesn’t know Sehun is there. Sehun wonders what he would say to Sehun if he knew he was there. Would he keep working the case as hard? Surely he would be less sad. Sehun wants Junmyeon to be less sad. Sehun’s ok so he shouldn’t feel bad for him. 

They take a while to find Dr. Kim Jongdae’s office, universities are big. Not that Sehun didn’t know that, he used to go to this school but he didn’t really hang out in the offices of this building, he never had a reason to. Eventually, they find the right room and walk in. 

“Dr. Kim, I’m detective Kim Junmyeon, we spoke on the phone earlier” Junmyeon introduces himself. 

“I remember, have a seat” Jongdae smiles before gesturing towards one of the chairs. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m working a case that I believe might be a ritualistic killing, I was wondering if you could look into it.” Junmyeon says sitting down, Sehun sits in the chair beside him “I have to warn you it’s a bit gruesome.”

“I’ve seen a lot of gruesome things during my studies of cults” Jongdae says seriously before reaching out. Junmyeon hands him the file and Jongdae opens it up. 

“I see” Jongdae says before laying out the photos “You’re right this isn’t pretty.”

“I’m pretty” Sehun huffs leaning back in his chair. 

“Do you see anything that indicates a ritual?” Junmyeon asks. 

“None that I know of” Jongdae shakes his head. 

“Worth a shot” Junmeyon sighs.

“Not so fast” Jongdae stops Junmyeon from taking the file back “It’s not a ritual I know but people often change things based on their own beliefs.”

“So you might be able to figure out what it means?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Cutting the along every rib, it’s a symbol used in some cults I’ve studied” Jongdae explains “They don’t do it to humans but this is meant to let the life out of an animal. They use it to collect spiritual energy as well as physical.”

“The killer didn’t uh eat Sehun though” Junmyeon says, wincing a bit at the thought. 

“No, but they might have wanted to collect his spiritual energy” Jongdae notes “If it’s possible, could I keep these photos and do some more research?”

“For sure” Junmyeon nods enthusiastically “The murder weapon was a kitchen utility knife if that helps and Sehun was drugged before he was killed.”

“What drug?” Jongdae asks. 

“Ketamine” Junmyeon answers “A pretty high dose, it knocked him out but it didn’t kill him.”

“That’s helpful” Jongdae says, still looking at the photos “I’ll look into this and get back to you.”

“Thank you” Junmyeon smiles “really, thank you so much.”

“I’m happy to help” Jongdae smiles for the first time, it’s truly a lovely smile “Whoever did this to this boy deserves to face justice.”

“I’m an adult!” Sehun sighs. 

“I hope to do that” Junmyeon says, getting up before taking his file back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this was quite the chapter, that's the majority of the gore so no need to worry about the rest of the fic if you were good with this.


	3. Eye for an Eye

“Anything new with you?” Kyungsoo asks, sitting down beside Sehun on a bench.

“Nope, still waiting for the professor to get back to us on the ritualistic death thing” Sehun answers “Still like following Junmyeon around but he doesn’t talk as much when he’s doing paperwork.”

“Do you think you were killed for some sort of ritual?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I don’t know” Sehun shrugs “I don’t get a Cause if that’s what you’re asking but I think we only get those for events, right?”

“This would have been in the manual” Kyungsoo jokes. 

“Would it also have a section on falling for someone who can’t see you?” Sehun asks. 

“You’re asking _me_ that?” Kyungsoo asks “I wrote the book on being in love with a human.”

“It’s different for you, Jongin knew you, you were married. He loves you” Sehun answers “Junmyeon has never met me. He’s seen me and stuff but he’s never met me. He’s never talked to me. It’s hard.”

“Denial?” Kyungsoo offers “You can just pretend you’re in the same situation, that Junmyeon loved you. He cried over your death, after all, he clearly cares and he does know you.” 

“I like that idea” Sehun smiles “doesn’t sound very healthy though.”

“We’re already dead, what’s healthy?” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“A very good point” Sehun nods “Alright, I’ll pretend Junmyeon knew me. Love might be a bit much.”

“Ok sure” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. 

“You’re saying I’m in love with him?” Sehun asks. 

“Maybe not but he’s all you have, apart from me. He’s your human obsession, your Jongin” Kyungsoo explains “if you’re going to pretend he knew you, might as well pretend it’s love too. You’ll fall in love eventually.”

“What if I don’t?” Sehun answers “What if I move on after a little while.”

“Doubt it” Kyungsoo laughs “but fine, you can do whatever you want with your fantasy.”

“I can do whatever I want?” Sehun says raising an eyebrow

“Oh Sehun!” Kyungsoo laughs while pushing Sehun playfully “Please tell me you haven’t watched him while he’s... indisposed.”

“I thought you said he was my Jongin. Doesn’t that give me the right to join him in the shower?” Sehun smirks. 

“No, that would still make you a perv” Kyungsoo laughs “Fantasy is one thing but don’t cross boundaries.”

“I kissed his tears” Sehun points out. 

“You didn’t know it would work and that’s pretty harmless” Kyungsoo defends.

“All this is very complicated” Sehun says, pretending to have a headache. 

“You know right from wrong Sehun” Kyungsoo glares judgingly. 

“I know I’m just messing with you” Sehun laughs “When he’s sleeping or getting changed I hang out in his kitchen. I give him privacy.” 

“Alright, alright” Kyungsoo chuckles “It’s almost dawn, are you going to go back to his apartment?”

“I should stay here with you. You were busy with Jongin all night, now’s our chance to hang out” Sehun says. 

“I always told him not to eat raw cookie dough. Hopefully, the mild food poisoning will teach him that lesson” Kyungsoo laughs “You hung out with me for part of the night.”

“Can’t really handle Jongin throwing up” Sehun scrunches his nose remembering it “nasty.”

“You’re really squeamish” Kyungsoo teases “anyway, the point is, we spent time together already. Just go see your human.”

“Thanks” Sehun smiles. 

Sehun likes spending his mornings with Junmyeon. Makes it feel like Sehun is alive again. He even musters up all his powers to turn on the coffee machine for Junmyeon since Junmyeon forgot to do it this morning. Junmyeon does not like going to work without coffee, Sehun found that out pretty quickly. 

With Junmyeon caffeinated and fed, he drives to work with Sehun. The sad ballads soothe Sehun, he’ll never be able to hear one without thinking of Junmyeon now which makes Sehun smile. He likes that he’s building a relationship of sorts with Junmyeon. 

Sehun sits on Junmyeon’s desk, accidentally knocking over the little bunny. Junmyeon looks up from his paperwork and replaces the bunny without even noticing that it was supernaturally moved. Sehun watches Junmyeon attentively. When Sehun was alive he thought having a ghost haunt him would be terrifying but now that he is a ghost he sees that ghosts are more like... guardian angels. Kyungsoo _might_ have been right but Sehun will not admit that to him. After a little while, Junmyeon starts smiling at his computer screen and Sehun decides to move behind him so he can see the screen too. 

He’s surprised to see his own face on Junmyeon’s screen. 

“Is my crush not so one-sided after all?” Sehun asks with a smile. 

“Cute” Junmyeon whispers looking at the photo of Sehun in the middle of laughing “I’ll find your killer Sehun. I’ll do that for you.”

“You don’t need to do anything for me Junmyeon” Sehun says, placing a hand on his shoulder “I just want you to be happy.”

“Oh Sehun?” Minseok asks, scaring not only Junmyeon but Sehun too. 

“How are you so quiet!” Junmyeon responds. 

“I’m a good cop” Minseok laughs “So why are you looking at the dead guy.”

“Can you not call him that?” Junmyeon says, a little upset. 

“Sorry” Minseok frowns “Helps me cope, put some distance between us and the victim, you know?” 

“I get that” Junmyeon nods “As you see I’m not very good at putting distance between me and Sehun.”

“I’m happy to hear that” Sehun says before moving closer to Junmyeon to whisper in his ear “I don’t like distance.”

“He’s cute” Minseok nods “Kinda hot.”

“He _was_ cute” Junmyeon corrects “I have a hard enough time remembering he’s dead, I don’t need you to add to it.”

“You like him” Minseok concludes. 

“He’s likable” Junmyeon answers “I looked through all his social media for research and... he’s just such a real person? He just enjoyed life and the people he was with.”

“That makes it harder” Minseok says sadly “you really don’t like making things easy for yourself. First, you pick this case then you fall for the victim.”

“No one said I fell for him” Junmyeon answers. 

“Please don’t say that in front of me. Let me have dreams.” Sehun pouts. 

“I know you Junmyeon, you fell for him. Not that it really matters since he’s dead but you did fall for him” Minseok says very matter of factly. 

“After I solve his murder I can move on” Junmyeon answers. 

“I would ask you not to move on but if you solve my murder I won’t be here anyway” Sehun sighs “This is a sad conversation, someone fix it.”

At that exact second, Junmyeon’s phone starts ringing. 

“Thank you universe, I knew I could trust you to pity me” Sehun smiles. 

Junmyeon picks up the phone, Sehun expects Minseok to leave but he doesn’t. He’s probably on break then. 

“Dr. Kim” Junmyeon smiles before there’s a long pause “Ok.”

“What’s he saying?” Minseok whispers but Junmyeon waves his hand dismissively. 

“After your lecture?” Junmyeon says before grabbing a piece of scrap paper and writing it down “Thank you, that’s extremely helpful... you too, ok bye.”

Junmyeon hangs up the phone and looks over at Minseok’s very interested face. 

“The professor has found some posts online talking about this exact type of ritual killing, all from 3 years ago. They all seem harmless more or less, just speculating about what the effects of Sehun’s specific rib cuts would be on a human but he has an idea of what might be related to” Junmyeon explains “He doesn’t know much but he has a few cults and religions in mind. So after his lecture let’s out, I’ll go talk to him about it, hopefully narrow it down.”

“So are you just going to drool over Sehun until then” Minseok jokes. 

“Please yes” Sehun smiles. 

“I’m doing research” Junmyeon argues “but you know what, I’ll just go now and if I’m early, I can sit in on his lecture.”

“Did I scare you?” Minseok pouts teasingly. 

“Fuck off” Junmyeon rolls his eyes. 

“Oh, so you can swear?” Sehun says a little surprised “Why is that hotter?”

Sehun follows Junmyeon as he goes to his car and gets in. He hasn’t been in a lecture hall in a while and Sehun isn’t exactly excited. School had always been a means to an end to Sehun and there were many times he considered dropping out. Chanyeol didn’t end up using his degree after he graduated, there’s a decent chance Sehun wouldn’t either. What’s the point of a degree in communication anyway? Sehun was hardly interested in any of the courses he had to take. Still if he’s just hanging out in a lecture hall with Junmyeon, not worried about learning... it might not be the worst. 

When they arrive, Dr. Kim’s class is still in session so they do end up sitting in on it. Luckily, Junmyeon sits away from most of the students so Sehun can sit beside him. As soon as Junmyeon sits down he seems to pay attention to the lecture. It’s more interesting than the courses Sehun took but he’s still not particularly interested in it. The professor explains to the class the importance of animal symbolism and its cultural ties etc. Sehun can’t be bothered to keep up. 

“You know if I were actually taking this course, I probably wouldn’t learn a single thing” Sehun says to Junmyeon “Prof’s too hot. Seriously, who can focus on the class when he’s up there under all those lights? God and those pants-”

Junmyeon cringes slightly at the next image that Dr. Kim puts up on the screen, it’s some sort of animal sacrifice and Sehun doesn’t want to look at either. However Sehun does smile a bit at the timing, he can easily pretend Junmyeon didn’t like what he said. 

“Don’t worry Junmyeon, there’s only one guy I like. I’m very loyal.” Sehun smiles before leaning a little closer to Junmyeon “I’m just looking, can’t pretend you haven’t noticed how attractive he is either.”

“Can’t believe something like this might have happened to Sehun. He shouldn’t have been treated like this” Junmyeon mumbles. 

“I mean I’m not big on the sacrifice thing either but honestly I don’t care why someone killed me, won’t change anything about where I am” Sehun sighs “At least I have you on my side to get me justice.”

The professor seems to make eye contact with Junmyeon before pausing his thought for a second before wrapping up the sentence. 

“Been found” Junmyeon laughs to himself. 

“You’re so cute” Sehun coos. 

“That’s it for today, I’ll let you all out a few minutes early. Sure none of you are complaining” Jongdae smiles to his students “We’ll pick this up on Tuesday.”

Junmyeon gets up and Sehun takes that as a sign to follow him. They walk down to where the professor is standing, packing up his laptop. Junmyeon is fast for someone with shorter legs, of course almost everyone has shorter legs than Sehun and he isn’t currently restricted to just his legs for transport but still. 

“I was a little early so I thought I’d watch the lecture” Junmyeon explains “I hope I didn’t intrude.”

“No, it’s fine” Jongdae smiles “My students are more than happy for class to let out a little early and I would really like to work on this. Might be a bit selfish.”

“I’d hardly call catching a murder selfish” Junmyeon points out. 

“You have a point” Jongdae smiles “Can we grab a coffee before heading to my office? I know it’s already 9:30 but I swear I’m still half asleep.”

“I know the feeling, wouldn’t mind another coffee myself” Junmyeon smiles back. 

“Are you flirting?” Sehun asks before stepping between them “Right in front of me? That’s low, I thought we had something Junmyeon.”

“I know a good place on campus, it’s on the way to my office” Jongdae says before walking right through Sehun. 

“I will not watch you two go on a coffee date” Sehun pouts as the pair walks out of the room.

He stays in the room alone in the lecture hall until the professor turns off the lights on his way out. Alone in the dark _might_ not be better than watching Junmyeon smile at another guy. Sehun stays in the room a little while longer weighing the pros and cons until he swears he hears something move around in the darkness, ghost or not Sehun can’t handle scary things lurking in the dark. 

“On second thought... I’ll just sabotage it” Sehun says to himself. 

Sehun flies quickly to catch with the pair but they’ve almost made it all the way to the little shop which is actually really close to the lecture hall, which explains how absolutely packed it is. Not a very good date spot. Sehun smiles to himself knowing they won’t be able to enjoy themselves much and will probably need to stay professional. Sehun catches up with them just as they’re entering the shop. 

The atmosphere of the shop is _weird_. Sehun doesn’t like it at all and not only because Junmyeon and Jongdae are getting coffee. There’s something wrong about this place, Sehun feels like he’s been here before but really all his memories apart from Chanyeol are so fuzzy Sehun can’t tell. Sehun would assume it has something to do with his murder but there’s no signature feelings related to a Cause. Maybe it’s just an old memory he can’t quite remember, it’s a bit unsettling in any case.

“You grab a table, I’ll buy the coffee?” Jongdae asks. 

“Sure yeah, I’d like an americano.” Junmyeon says. 

“I will spill a drink” Sehun grumbles “You know when I said he was hot, I didn’t mean you should go on a date with him.”

“Table...” Junmyeon says looking around the crowded room. 

“Pick one with 3 chairs, I really don’t want to third wheel too hard” Sehun says. 

“Ah, there” Junmyeon smiles before walking over to a little table with 4 chairs. 

“That works” Sehun nods. 

Junmyeon and Sehun sit down at the table and Sehun is going to try to flirt another time but Jongdae is already walking over with two drinks. He sits right on top of Sehun who jumps out of the chair, mildly offended. 

“How much?” Junmyeon asks as Sehun sits on another chair.

“3.15” Jongdae smiles “I swear it’s worth it though.”

“Better be” Junmyeon laughs before taking some money out of his wallet and placing it on the table “You’re drinking an iced coffee?”

“I drink iced americanos regardless of the time or weather” Jongdae laughs as he takes the money.

“I mean if you like it” Junmyeon says casually. 

“I do” Jongdae nods. 

“Do you want to discuss the case now or wait till we’re done drinking?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Oh?” Sehun smiles “Is this not a date after all?”

“Ah” Jongdae says before pulling the drink away from his mouth “Well I don’t have my findings here but I did have some questions for you.”

“Go ahead” Junmyeon nods before taking a sip of his drink. 

“Were the eyes removed first?” Jongdae asks. 

“Well this either isn’t a date or it’s the shittiest date ever, I’m happy either way” Sehun laughs. 

“They were removed post mortem so no” Junmyeon answers. 

“Ok” Jongdae nods before looking around as if he’s processing the information “You said ketamine was used, is there any indication it was medical grade, or could it have been made using natural sources?”

“I’m not sure” Junmyeon pauses “I don’t imagine it was made from anything natural? I’m not really an expert.”

“Right” Jongdae nods “The only thing taken from the victim was the eyes right? Were any clothes missing, books, anything else?”

“Nothing, the roommate said nothing else was out of place” Junmyeon answers. 

“Ok...” Jongdae nods “I can probably cross one cult off the list because they would have taken the heart as well... probably I mean they’re all individuals, they can do whatever. He died of blood loss right?”

“Yes” Junmyeon nods. 

“This is tricky because the groups I’m looking at are rather new, compared to some of the bigger religions anyway. They only have a relatively small number of followers and there are disagreements even within them.” Jongdae sighs. 

“I understand that” Junmyeon says, taking a deep breath as if he’s disappointed. 

“And like I said earlier, the posts online were about applying certain practices to humans which isn’t something that's done by any cult or religion. Those rituals are reserved for animals. So if this is really part of some ritual, it’s hard to pinpoint what the basis is since it’s already straying from the norm” Jongdae explains “Then again it could be a coincidence, if someone just really hated the victim, they might do similar things without any religious or cult implications.”

“We couldn’t find anyone who hated him though” Junmyeon answers “I would generally go with that but we already have so the chance of it being part of a ritual is all we have left.”

“I can understand that” Jongdae nods “You know what, I’ll refer you to someone I know. He’s a practicing member of one of the religions I think the murder might be tied to. He’s not too far from here and he might have more insight, if not I can keep trying to narrow it down by talking to more people and getting a better understanding of these groups.”

“I mean better than nothing” Sehun shrugs. 

“I really appreciate that” Junmyeon smiles “What’s the guy’s name?”

“Zhang Yixing” Jongdae answers “He runs a shop he’s usually at, I’ll email you the address.”

“Do you think there’s any chance he might be the killer?” Junmyeon asks. 

“No” Jongdae shakes his head “But no one really thinks their friends are capable of murder right? Yet murders often have friends...”

“I’ll be careful” Junmyeon nods. 

“I really don’t think it’s him, he literally wouldn’t hurt a fly. He traps them and frees them outside” Jongdae answers “I don’t think he’d be capable of murder, let alone doing this to a university student.”

“I’ve been upgraded from being called a kid finally” Sehun smiles “I like the prof a lot more since he stopped flirting with Junmyeon.”

“It’s hard to think about” Junmyeon says softly. 

“Aw don’t do this again” Sehun frowns. 

“Sorry if I sounded too casual about it, it really shook me up too but I can’t work like that” Jongdae responds. 

“Don’t worry about it, my coworkers are the same way” Junmyeon says before finishing his americano “Anyway, I should get back to the precinct, send me the address when you have the time.”

“I’ll do that soon” Jongdae answers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say how weird it is to write about my bias in such an emotionally detached way, like “Dr. Kim” it’s weird. He’s such a little sunshine, his name always makes me smile but Dr. Kim is so cold. Idk just sharing how I feel, kinda wish he could play a cuter character.


	4. Flowers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm posting so late!! I got crazy tired last night so I couldn't post but I'm posting now!! Might post another today just to make up for it.

This Zhang Yixing guy must live far out of town because Junmyeon has been driving for a long time. Sehun gets a little bored along the way but at least he’s beside Junmyeon. It’s a tiny bit more interesting than watching Junmyeon do paperwork and the fact they have a lead to pursue at all is exciting. 

Finally, they arrive at a small shop off the highway. It looks a little creepy and haunted. The last thing Sehun should be worried about is being haunted but his natural reaction is still to feel a bit afraid. The building looks practically abandoned, the sign is faded and the bricks of the building look extremely weathered. The only thing that doesn’t look forsaken are some small potted plants near the door, obviously, someone’s been watering them. Whether that person is terrifying or not is to be seen, Yixing could be his murder after all. Sehun stays really close to Junmyeon as they walk into the shop. Inside is less scary, there are shelves along almost every wall, some with labeled drawers, others with books, and a few with plants. It’s clearly well maintained, even if the outside hasn’t been. 

“Zhang Yixing?” Junmyeon asks. 

“One moment!” A voice returns from behind a door at the end of the room. 

“He’s polite at least” Sehun says taking a deep breath “Doesn’t mean he didn’t murder me.”

When Yixing walks out, Sehun is shocked. He was expecting a man in his forties or thirties but Yixing is clearly still in his twenties and he looks really good. He has black hair with an undercut and he’s wearing some very professional clothing. He looks like he should be walking down a runaway or the CEO of a company, not a random store owner on the outskirts of town. That only makes Sehun more suspicious. Weirder than that, Sehun swears Yixing looked right at him before shifting his focus to Junmyeon.

“How can I help you?” Yixing asks with a smile. 

“I’m detective Kim Junmyeon, I’m here to ask a few questions” Junmyeon starts. 

“The store is quiet around now so that shouldn’t be a problem” Yixing nods. 

“Dr. Kim Jongdae told me you practice a... particular religion” Junmyeon explains “I have a case that might be tied with some of the rituals.”

“Which ritual?” Yixing asks. 

“Well I don’t know what it’s called but I have pictures” Junmyeon answers before grabbing his file and taking out a photo to show Yixing. 

Yixing takes it and stays silent, no gasping in shock or horror, he stays perfectly silent. He examines the photo very carefully.

“This is a perversion” Yixing finally says, focused on the photo “Is this you?”

Sehun freezes for a moment, worried Yixing knows more than he should. 

“No... I’m alive” Junmyeon says, confused about the question. 

“Right, I meant did you take the photo?” Yixing chuckles, handing the photo back and looking up.

“No, I wasn’t on the case at the time” Junmyeon answers “You said this is a perversion?”

“This pattern of cuts on the ribs is meant to release spiritual energy,  _ in animals _ ” Yixing answers “Animals that would already be killed for food. Using it on a person is... it’s wrong. Entirely.”

“Dr. Kim mentioned the rib thing too” Junmyeon says “Do you know anything else about the other cuts, maybe the face.”

“The gash across the stomach... could signify purification of sorts. It’s far fetched, there’s nothing in my religion that directly says that but I could see that being an interpretation.” Yixing frowns “From what I can see, it looks like someone was trying to steal the life of this person. Not that it would work, all they did was murder someone and they’ll pay for that.”

“Steal the life of the victim?” Junmyeon asks. 

“The eyes and face were taken to remove the energy from being tied to any particular soul, the rest I’m not entirely sure. Like I said this is a perversion, it’s not right. Whoever did this is delusional.” Yixing answers “I know you may think my religion, in general, is delusional but just think of this person as an extremist because that’s what they are.”

“So your religion doesn’t condone murder?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Not at all” Yixing answers “We believe in healing, rebirth, universal balance, kindness, and the greater good.”

“Sounds a bit like Buddhism when you say it like that” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Are you buddist?” Yixing asks. 

“I am” Junmyeon nods. 

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Yixing asks and Sehun starts to panic, he doesn’t like this topic. 

“I do” Junmyeon answers. 

“Ok because I wasn’t sure I should say anything but you have a ghost following you around” Yixing answers “He’s on your right.”

“There’s a ghost?” Junmyeon asks. 

“How the hell can you see me?” Sehun asks, staring straight at Yixing. 

“I’m sorry I can’t hear you. I can only see you but I’m assuming you’re asking how I can see you?” Yixing asks Sehun, Sehun just nods in response “It’s a gift I have.”

“There’s really a ghost?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I think it’s the victim” Yixing answers and Sehun nods enthusiastically “Yeah he says he’s the victim.”

“This wouldn’t hold up in court but maybe he could help me solve the murder” Junmyeon answers. 

“Really? You actually believe I’m real? I’m right here and I hardly believe Yixing is telling the truth.” Sehun says surprised. 

“I can bring him back” Yixing answers. 

“What?” Sehun and Junmyeon say at the same time. 

“He didn’t die of natural causes, I have a ritual that will bring him back” Yixing says casually “Would you like to be brought back, spirit?”

“Yes!” Sehun yells before remembering Yixing can’t hear him so he starts nodding. 

“This shouldn’t take long to prepare” Yixing says, reaching for an item on one of his shelves.

“Holy shit I might not be a ghost anymore” Sehun says to himself “I swear to god if this guy is just insane but still can see me for some reason I’m gonna be so pissed, he better actually save me.”

“Sehun?” Junmyeon whispers. 

“Yeah?” Sehun answers. 

“Can you show me you’re really here?” Junmyeon asks softly. 

“I can try” Sehun answers before reaching for Junmyeon’s hand. 

It takes Sehun a few tries but he manages to hold Junmyeon’s hand. Sehun smiles, he was wrong earlier, he can hold Junmyeon’s hand. Junmyeon can’t see him but they can interact. Sehun smiles widely at the sight. 

“I know I believe in ghosts but part of me still doesn’t want to accept this” Junmyeon says looking down at his hand. 

“It was hard for me to accept too and I  _ am _ the ghost” Sehun laughs. 

“Oh, I’m missing an ingredient” Yixing sighs “I’ll be able to perform the ceremony after getting it.”

“I knew it would be too good to be true” Sehun sighs. 

“Could I help?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I suppose” Yixing nods “I have a list of locations where this plant can be found, I can search one half of the list, you can search the other half?”

“If it’s rare, would this be a legal way to obtain it?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Feverfew is quite common, not super common in this country but not valuable in any way, it’s a weed to some people.” Yixing answers “All completely legal, they have to be wild and grow on a hillside for this to work so I’m not sure which site will have them. I’ve found some in these locations before but nature is rarely consistent.” 

“Then I’d be happy to help on my off hours” Junmyeon nods before handing Yixing a business card “Email me the list.”

“I’ll do that” Yixing smiles.

~=+•+=~

“You’re going flower picking with your boyfriend?” Kyungsoo asks as they stare at the sunset from the roof of Kyungsoo’s house. 

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just my human obsession... who probably has a crush on me and knows I’m there” Sehun answers staring down at the ground. 

“I would be jealous if I wasn’t so happy for you” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“Maybe if you were more obvious around Jongin, he’d know you were a ghost too” Sehun mentions. 

“No, you know how I feel about this.” Kyungsoo says seriously “Jongin doesn’t believe in ghosts, if I make myself obvious, he’ll think he’s going insane and I can’t do that to him.”

“Fine” Sehun sighs “I just want you to be happy.”

“I know” Kyungsoo smiles “Life as a ghost isn’t perfect but really I’m doing fine, I’m happy to be protecting him and have a friend like you.”

“I wish we met in real life before dying” Sehun answers. 

“Neither of us would have talked to each other.” Kyungsoo laughs “I start about as many conversations as you do.”

“Chanyeol could have become friends with Jongin and we could have met that way” Sehun fantasizes “We would have hit it off.”

“Mmmh” Kyungsoo hums “Yeah I think that would have worked.” 

“I’m glad it happened, even if it’s under these circumstances” Sehun answers. 

“Me too” Kyungsoo nods. 

“Good cause you’re stuck with me” Sehun smiles “for a long time.” 

“Well, you’re going to be human soon” Kyungsoo adds. 

“If Yixing isn’t insane” Sehun answers “I still don’t have much faith in this. Have you ever heard of someone coming back from the dead?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen...” Kyungsoo mumbles. 

“Whatever, human or not, we’re going to stay friends, right?” Sehun asks.

“Definitely” Kyungsoo says sincerely. 

“That’s all that matters” Sehun smiles. 

“Because kissing Junmyeon isn’t something at the top of your priority list?” Kyungsoo jokes. 

“Shut up” Sehun laughs. 

“Can’t you try to do it now, since he knows you’re there?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“He knows I’m a ghost but I don’t think he has any idea that I follow him around normally. He’s never tried to talk to me in the mornings before his work. If he finds something that has to do with my case, that’s really the only time he’ll say something to me.” Sehun answers. 

“He’s found more stuff to do with your case? I thought you said there weren’t really any more leads?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“They aren’t really any leads, he just keeps emailing that professor about what Yixing said about perversion and stuff. They talk about possible meaning and stuff” Sehun says with a bit of venom in his voice.

“I can’t believe you’re jealous because of a professor who’s literally trying to figure out who murdered you and why” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. 

“You didn’t see, he flirted with Junmyeon” Sehun argues “I swear he did.”

“Well, Junmyeon knows you exist now so I’m sure he won’t pursue him” Kyungsoo says trying to comfort his friend.

“He better not” Sehun grumbles.

“Maybe you should try flirting” Kyungsoo says “Pick up a flower and give it to him.”

“Unlike you, I’m not used to touching things. I can’t pick anything up” Sehun explains. 

“Then just hold his hand again” Kyungsoo offers. 

“I can try... ugh being a ghost and trying to have a life is hard” Sehun sighs. 

“We don’t have a life, that’s the point” Kyungsoo chuckles. 

“You’re really the life of the party, aren’t you?” Sehun jokes before Kyungsoo pinches the back of his neck “Ow ow ow ow ow! Ok sorry! You’re really fun hyung! I didn’t mean it!”

“Good” Kyungsoo laughs, pulling his hand away from Sehun “What do you want to do tonight?”

“It’s Friday night... I’m sure there’s a club open” Sehun offers.

“Sounds good” Kyungsoo smiles before getting up.

Sehun and Kyungsoo end up having a lot of fun at the club they choose. They spend the whole night betting on random things, who will end up hooking up, how many times the DJ plays the same exact song with no one noticing, things like that. Sehun gets a little too invested in his bet on how many drinks one guy would take, he uses all his force to spill the guy’s drink just so he wouldn’t drink it. Kyungsoo calls it cheating but Sehun calls it strategy. Soon enough though the night ends and everyone is forced out and into cabs or public transport. 

As usual, Kyungsoo and Sehun split up, each of them going to see their human obsession and keep them company during breakfast. And as usual, Junmyeon doesn’t try to talk to Sehun at all, Sehun never really shuts up though, trying to fill the conversation for both of them. Sehun almost tries to figure out a way to let Junmyeon know he’s there, but he never caught on when Sehun knocked over his little bunny figurine. Since the flowers are related to his case though, hopefully, he’ll talk to him then. 

After breakfast, Sehun joins Junmyeon in his car to drive to one of the locations Yixing gave to Junmyeon to search. Junmyeon still hasn’t talked to Sehun which makes him sad, he really wants to hear Junmyeon talk to him, it’s one of his favourite things. Once they’re out of the car and walking around the location though, Junmyeon finally says something. 

“Sehun, are you here?” Junmyeon says looking around. 

“Finally” Sehun smiles before reaching out to grab one of Junmyeon’s hands.

The second Sehun feels Junmyeon’s soft skin beneath his fingers, Junmyeon flinches. 

“Sorry” Junmyeon smiles “It just feels kind of freaky, I’m glad you’re here. I’d ask you to help me look but there’s not much you can do right?”

“Yeah, I can’t really do much, not sure how to answer you though” Sehun laughs. 

“Uhh right you can’t answer” Junmyeon laughs “Here, how about, you touch my left hand for no and my right for yes.”

“I want to say ok but that’s not an option” Sehun smiles before reaching for Junmyeon’s right hand, it takes a few tries but he manages to touch it.

“Good” Junmyeon smiles “This’ll work well enough then. Ready to start looking? If you find something you can grab any hand to let me know.”

Sehun brushes Junmyeon’s right hand lightly and Junmyeon smiles in response. Both of them start to look around the low ground cover for small daisy-looking flowers. 

“You know, I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be looking for the flowers on the actual hill, not here but I’m sure you’ll figure that out soon enough” Sehun smiles before looking at Junmyeon with a longing gaze “I wish you could actually hear me instead of this whole yes or no thing. Still better than you having no idea I’m here though.”

Turns out even when Junmyeon finally walks all the way to the hill, neither of them find the little flowers Yixing is looking for. They comb through the whole place but there’s no sign of the plant. 

“We can cross this off the list” Junmyeon sighs “Will you come with me to the next place?”

Sehun concentrates hard and makes contact with Junmyeon’s right hand to answer him. He should have spent more time in the past 3 years practicing this, it would have been handy but he didn’t even know he could do it until a couple of weeks ago so it’s not entirely his fault... he could have talked to Kyungsoo sooner but whatever. 

“Great, see you there” Junmyeon smiles “Well not  _ see _ but you know what I mean.”

“Do you think I teleport or something?” Sehun laughs “I’m going to follow you there, man you really don’t get ghosts but I can’t blame you. I didn’t before I died either.”

Sehun follows closely behind Junmyeon and joins him in the car before they head to the next location. 

“You know, we could actually talk and not just about flowers and murder” Sehun smiles as Junmyeon starts driving away “You could ask me questions about  _ me _ and I could share with you. I’m pretty sure we both want that.”

Junmyeon keeps his eyes focused on the road without even a sign of hearing Sehun, which Sehun should have expected but it still makes him sad. Even with Junmyeon knowing about him, they still can’t really talk and Junmyeon doesn’t even seem to want to get to know Sehun. Maybe that’s what hurts more, they could be closer but the ball is entirely in Junmyeon’s court and he's choosing no to talk to Sehun.

After a little more driving Junmyeon and Sehun arrive at the second area and Junmyeon gets out of the car before walking to the little hillside before walking around a bit. He hasn’t even tried to talk to Sehun which makes Sehun frustrated so he reaches out and touches Junmyeon’s hand. 

“What?” Junmyeon says looking down at his hand “Oh! Sehun! You’re here?”

“Yeah” Sehun laughs before touching Junmyeon’s right hand again. 

“I guess you probably followed me right?” Junmyeon smiles so Sehun tries a couple of times and eventually ends up touching his right hand again “I should have thought of that.”

“No duh” Sehun smiles before touching Junmyeon’s right hand again. 

“Wow, snarky” Junmyeon smiles “It’s not my fault I don’t know how ghosts work.”

“Fine, you get a pass” Sehun chuckles before touching Junmyeon’s left hand to agree that it’s not his fault “mainly you get a pass just for being cute.”

“Have you found the flower?” Junmyeon asks and Sehun touches his left hand in response “ah, too bad. This is kind of boring don’t you think?”

“I don’t know, I like looking at your face no matter what we’re doing” Sehun flirts before touching Junmyeon’s right hand anyway. 

“Maybe I should talk to you the whole time, that would be more fun” Junmyeon smiles “Would you like that?”

“Thank god” Sehun says in relief before enthusiastically grabbing Junmyeon's right hand with more force than he’s even been able to do before, it still nothing more than a small squeeze though. 

“Ok” Junmyeon laughs “I can tell you some cop stories or maybe high school stories? Cop stories can be the right hand and growing up stories can be the left.”

“Easy choice” Sehun smirks before touching Junmyeon’s left hand. 

“I’m not going to tell you any embarrassing stories if that’s what you were hoping for” Junmyeon smiles “Kinda thought you’d prefer cop stories.”

“I’m not really into that kind of thing” Sehun says as he grabs Junmyeon’s left hand to express his opinion. 

“Guess it’s not fun if you’re a ghost huh?” Junmyeon answers. 

“Honestly it’s more that I want to hear about you” Sehun says but he can’t let Junmyeon know that with a simple yes or no so he doesn’t answer “Just talk to me about tiny Junmyeon.”

As they search the hill, Junmyeon tells Sehun countless stories from his youth, all of which make Sehun smile. There are even times when Sehun can interrupt and add to the stories like a real conversation. All he can do is agree or disagree with what Junmyeon said but it’s something and Sehun feels like they can finally get to know each other which is all Sehun wants really. 

This hillside takes way, way longer than the first one and by the time they’ve searched the whole place, the sun is setting. They didn’t even find the flower but there are a few more places they can check and Sehun had fun anyway, even if he won’t be revi- potentially revived (if Sehun believes Yixing) as soon as he’d like. 

“Well, no luck” Junmyeon sighs “I’m free tomorrow though, want to look through some of the other places?”

“You need a life Junmyeon” Sehun laughs before touching Junmyeon’s right hand. 

“Great, I’ll find more things to tell you” Junmyeon smiles “maybe bring some music too? Do you like ballads?”

“You have no idea” Sehun smiles sincerely before touching Junmyeon’s right hand. 

“Alright, bye Sehun. Talk to you tomorrow” Junmyeon waves while looking to Sehun’s right, at least he’s trying. 

“You’re my ride back into town though” Sehun laughs before following Junmyeon “You really don’t get ghosts.”


	5. From One to Another

“Does Jongin really work as a ballerina?” Sehun asks as he watches Jongin accidentally drop his coffee all over the counter and ground.

“Ballerino” Kyungsoo corrects “And he works at the Korean National Ballet, so yes.”

“Fancy” Sehun laughs “Why is he so bad at existing then?”

“He’s doing just fine” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes “He’s just not that coordinated with anything that isn’t dance.”

“What did he do before he was hired at the ballet?” Sehun asks. 

“He was a barista” Kyungsoo answers. 

“ _ He _ was a barista? How much money did he cost the place?” Sehun says before walking over and gesturing at the complete mess of coffee that Jongin is currently trying to clean up. 

“He’s pretty though, good for business” Kyungsoo shrugs. 

“They fired him eventually though didn’t they?” Sehun smirks. 

“Maybe...” Kyungsoo sighs “Whatever, he’s accomplished. Stop dissing my husband, he’s very talented. Who cares if he can’t control a cup?”

“Your countertops care” Sehun laughs “You made him coffee didn’t you?”

“I made everything in the kitchen I never- nevermind” Kyungsoo says shaking his head. 

“Never what?” Sehun asks. 

“No, you’ve made fun of him enough” Kyungsoo frowns. 

“Promise I won’t” Sehun says seriously “I know he’s talented hyung, I watched him dance once. I’m just messing with you.”

“Ok fine I’ll tell you” Kyungsoo nods “I didn’t let him in the kitchen. It was my kitchen and I didn’t want him messing with stuff.”

“Ah, domestic bliss” Sehun teases. 

“This is why I don’t talk to you!” Kyungsoo yells before pinching Sehun’s neck. 

“Ow!” Sehun complains “you always talk to me! I’m the only one you can talk to!”

“I’d rather talk to Jongin, at least he won’t talk back” Kyungsoo frowns.

“Hey, I’m a delight” Sehun laughs “You know you’d be really bored without me.”

“Yeah you’re right” Kyungsoo says while trying to fight a smile “I could do with a little less dissing.”

“But then I wouldn’t be me” Sehun pouts. 

“Alright fine” Kyungsoo laughs “Can we go back to me gushing about my husband then?”

“No, my turn to gush about Junmyeon instead” Sehun says. 

“Still going on those flower hunting dates?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“They aren’t dates and yes” Sehun smiles “The only thing is there are many more places to check. I’m getting worried we won’t find the flower.”

“Maybe you will soon?” Kyungsoo offers. 

“Or maybe this is all a fraud anyway” Sehun sighs. 

“Hey, just focus on the positive” Kyungsoo says to comfort Sehun “Junmyeon knows you exist and he’s talking to you.”

“True” Sehun smiles “Do you think we could reenact scenes from Ghost?”

“If you do, I will never talk to you again” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“Harsh” Sehun smiles. 

“That reminds me, shouldn’t you be at his apartment by now, acting all disgusting around him?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“But then I wouldn’t get to watch your husband struggle to caffeinate himself” Sehun smiles. 

“Yeah ok get lost” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“Alright fine” Sehun smiles before flying away. 

Junmyeon has yet to try to talk to Sehun in the mornings so Sehun tends to like their time during the day a little more than mornings now. Still, Sehun flies directly to Junmyeon’s apartment and manages to catch just the end of his breakfast. Junmyeon has a bit of peanut butter just on the corner of his mouth. Sehun can’t stop himself from reaching out and brushing his finger against Junmyeon’s lip. He doesn’t move the peanut butter but it's the thought that counts. Junmyeon somehow still doesn’t catch on that Sehun is here and just shakes his head a bit before wiping the peanut butter off properly himself. 

After that, Junmyeon heads to work and Sehun joins him. Junmyeon has been doing less and less work on his case since there’s less for him to investigate but it makes Sehun a bit sad. He doesn’t want to lose their one tie. Junmyeon surely won’t start ignoring him even if he has to move on from Sehun’s case right? Sehun desperately hopes not but Junmyeon still doesn’t talk to him if they aren’t flower searching or working on the case so... 

Sehun starts getting a bit bored watching Junmyeon just go through the paperwork so he knocks Junmyeon’s figurine over... again and again. As many times as he can but Junmyeon keeps putting it back and looking at it with a puzzled look. Eventually, he just picks it up to inspect the base for some reason it keeps falling over, apparently not catching on that Sehun is the cause. It takes Sehun almost 15 tries before Junmyeon finally catches on. 

“Sehun?” Junmyeon asks and Sehun puts a hand on Junmyeon’s right hand, he’s really improving at touching Junmyeon “Oh I didn’t know you’d be here, there’s nothing going on with your case.”

“How am I supposed to say I know?” Sehun sighs before just reaching for Junmyeon’s right hand anyway. 

“Do you want me to keep trying to find something? I guess I could email Dr. Kim again...” Junmyeon starts but Sehun places his hand on Junmyeon’s left hand to signify he doesn’t want that. 

“Junmyeon are you talking to yourself?” Minseok says walking up to Junmyeon’s desk. 

“You’re ruining it” Sehun sighs. 

“Like you don’t? I’m trying to work things out” Junmyeon says smoothly and Sehun is impressed with his ability to avoid scrutiny without even lying. 

“You know you’re going to have to drop Sehun’s case right? The captain already offered to give you a real case” Minseok says. 

“I know but I’ve made progress... something else will pop up I’m sure” Junmyeon says “I don’t think Sehun’s killer was that smart. I can find the trace and put that bastard in jail.”

“If you say so” Minseok nods “but you won’t be able to work it much longer, even if you want to. If you find something, you can jump back on but that's about it.”

“I’ll work on it on my off hours, I don’t care. I need to do this” Junmyeon says firmly. 

“Junmyeon, I really like you but you don’t need to do this.” Sehun frowns “Please don’t throw your life away for my justice.”

Sehun reaches out for Junmyeon’s left hand to tell him how he feels about it. 

“No” Junmyeon says, pulling his hand away “I’m fine with working on it.”

“I don’t think that’s healthy” Minseok says softly “You need time off Junmyeon, you’ll overwork yourself.”

“He’s right” Sehun says while reaching for Junmyeon’s right hand, Junmyeon immediately looks upset the second he feels Sehun’s hand. 

“Thank you for your concern, but I know what I’m doing” Junmyeon explains to both of them “I’m not going to overwork myself. This is what I’m doing for my own well-being. It’ll make me feel better.”

“If you say so, I believe you” Minseok nods.

“No! You’re supposed to be on my side! Junmyeon you need a life. You can spend your time going out with friends or reading a book or just talking to me, but don’t stress yourself out on this case! I’m fine with you not solving it” Sehun rants. 

“I’m doing paperwork right now anyway” Junmyeon says “I’m not obsessed, I promise, I’m doing my job properly.”

“Ok” Minseok smiles politely “I’ll leave you to it then.”

Minseok walks away and Junmyeon resumes his paperwork. Sehun feels a little neglected but it’s alright. Once Minseok is back at his own desk though, Junmyeon stops typing. 

“Sehun, why don’t you want me working the case? I thought that’s what you’d want” Junmyeon whispers. 

“That’s not a yes or no question” Sehun smiles “Can’t answer it.”

“Do you want your murder in jail?” Junmyeon asks and Sehun touches his right hand “Right, so shouldn’t I work on it?”

“Why is this so hard for you Junmyeon. I care about you, I want you to do what’s best for you. I’m dead, I don’t need you to do this” Sehun says while reaching for Junmyeon’s left hand. 

“I don’t understand” Junmyeon says, staring at his left hand. 

“And you’re not going to” Sehun smiles. 

“Are you protecting someone?” Junmyeon asks. 

“You, you dumbass” Sehun laughs while grabbing Junmyeon’s right hand. 

“Who?” Junmyeon asks, sighing, realizing that’s not a yes or no question but Sehun finds a way to tell him anyway. Sehun puts his face flat on Junmyeon’s chest, right where his heart is “Me?”

“Of course” Sehun smiles touching Junmyeon’s right hand again. 

“That’s very sweet Sehun, but like I told Minseok. I’m fine” Junmyeon answers. 

“I’m not going to win this fight, at least not while I’m a ghost” Sehun sighs. 

Junmyeon doesn’t really talk to Sehun again, even though he knows he’s there. Sehun can understand that. Minseok was giving Junmyeon another weird look while they were talking. A police precinct isn’t exactly an ideal place to talk but without conversations, the day gets a little boring. Sehun even knocks over the figurine a few times, just to let Junmyeon know he’s still there. Near the end of Junmyeon’s shift, he gets a phone call. 

“Hello, this is detective Kim Junmyeon” Junmyeon answers professionally before pausing “Really?”

“What is it?” Sehun asks. 

“Now?” Junmyeon asks. 

“ _ What? _ ” Sehun sighs. 

“Ok, I’m on my way.” Junmyeon says before turning off his computer “Yeah, I’ll make sure to bring him.”

“Me? Please say me” Sehun smiles. 

“Sehun” Junmyeon whispers “We’re going to see Yixing, he found the flower.”

“Oh thank god” Sehun sighs before holding Junmyeon’s right hand. 

Junmyeon gets up and leaves his desk and Sehun follows him. Sehun’s so overcome with excitement he’s in Junmyeon’s car before he knows it. Listening to sad beautiful ballads on the road, driving to practically nowhere. 

“If this works, I’ll be able to see you” Junmyeon says while driving. 

“You’re actually talking to me? You’ve figured out I can’t teleport” Sehun laughs before placing a hand on the arm he can reach, just to let Junmyeon know he’s listening since both of Junmyeon’s hands are on the wheel. 

“Do you think Yixing is lying about bringing you back?” Junmyeon asks “Tap once for yes and twice for no.”

“Smart” Sehun smiles before tapping on Junmyeon’s shoulder once. 

“Kind of cynical” Junmyeon smiles and Sehun laughs before tapping once again “It would be nice to actually hear you talk though, that way we could have a proper conversation.”

“Don’t get my hopes up” Sehun smiles before taping on Junmyeon’s shoulder once again. 

The ride this time is a lot shorter than the first one. Purely because he can communicate with Junmyeon. Junmyeon seems to be pretty chatty in the car actually, much to Sehun’s surprise. Eventually, they arrive once again in front of the faded exterior of Yixing’s shop. Only this time, there’s another car parked in front and it certainly isn’t Yixing’s. 

“Weird” Junmyeon comments. 

“My thought exactly” Sehun says before communicating it with Junmyeon. 

When they enter the shop, they see who owns the car. 

“Baekhyun?” Junmyeon asks looking at the man. 

“Hyung?” Baekhyun smiles “what brings you here?”

“Se- a case” Junmyeon answers “What about you?”

“I... know the store owner” Baekhyun laughs. 

“Oh! Junmyeon! You’re here! Great” Yixing smiles while walking out from what seems to be a storage room “Baekhyun, here’s your valerian root.”

“Thanks, hyung” Baekhyun smiles before taking the small plant “See you Saturday.”

“Can’t wait” Yixing smiles. 

“Excuse me, ghost trying to come back to life. Let’s skip the small talk” Sehun rolls his eyes. 

Baekhyun walks out once he has his root, leaving just the three of them in the room. 

“Right let’s begin then, I’ll grab everything” Yixing says before looking through all the shelves. 

“Sehun is here right?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yup!” Yixing nods while collecting things. 

“Just checking” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Ok, that’s everything” Yixing says before placing two cups, a jug of water, and various plants on the ground “could you two join me on the floor, the sun is setting soon, we need to do this quickly or we’ll have to wait for sunrise. So the spirit’s name is Sehun then?”

“Yes” Junmyeon answers before sitting on the ground across from Yixing, Sehun sits to his right. 

“Ok, Sehun could you please pick up the dried daffodil?” Yixing asks and Sehun shakes his head to say no because he’s not really good at picking things up “Ok that’s fine, I’ll just move it closer to you and you can just touch it?”

“Yeah I can do that” Sehun says nodding his head. 

“Great, detective, I just need you to think about Sehun a lot” Yixing says “I don’t really know anything about him so you’ll have to do it. I’ll focus on the actual ceremony”

“You have to think about me?” Sehun smirks. 

“Sehun focus on touching that flower, not staring at Junmyeon” Yixing says, looking at Sehun. 

“Dude! You did not have to out me like that!” Sehun yells in exasperation. 

Junmyeon just starts laughing lightly. Sehun smiles at the sound, he made Junmyeon laugh! That’s not something Sehun ever thought he’d be able to do, it’s nice. 

“That got you thinking about him so that’s good” Yixing smiles while he continues to arrange the various objects around him “As I pour this water into the cup, Sehun your flower should start to rehydrate, if it’s not, focus even harder on touching the flower. Try to hold it if you can.”

“Noted” Sehun says while nodding so it’s clear. 

“Keep him in your thoughts, detective, think of his face, his smile, his laugh, anything you can.” Yixing says seriously “Ready Sehun?”

“Yup” Sehun answers. 

Sehun keeps his whole attention on the flower beneath his hand, he can feel the smoothness of the stem so he knows he’s touching it. Slowly the flower starts to come back to life beneath his fingers and Sehun smiles knowing it’s working. This definitely isn’t a hoax, Yixing has powers and Sehun is going to be done with being a ghost. 

“Extra cherry on top of this ritual is that it brings a flower back too” Yixing smiles as the water is almost finished pouring “Detective you can open your eyes, in fact, you should.”

“Junmyeon?” Sehun asks, looking at the man beside him. 

“I-it worked” Junmyeon stutters looking directly at Sehun. 

“You can see me” Sehun smiles widely “and hear me!”

“Yeah, and you’re alive!” Junmyeon says, still sounding extremely surprised, which is odd because he seemed to have more faith in the process than Sehun did. 

“I have a friend” Sehun says turning to Yixing “He’s a ghost too, can you bring him back? He misses his husband so much.”

“How did he die?” Yixing asks. 

“Car crash” Sehun answers. 

“I can but I’ll need someone who knows him” Yixing says seriously. 

“I know him” Sehun smiles. 

“Did you know him when he was alive? Because otherwise, I would just be turning him into the ghost that you’d be picturing.” Yixing answers. 

“I’ll need to convince Jongin to help then” Sehun nods. 

“Detective are you ok?” Yixing asks looking at Junmyeon “I would say you look like you’ve seen a ghost but well.”

“I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the fact Sehun is actually alive again” Junmyeon says honestly. 

“Now you don’t have to cry about me” Sehun says before realizing how revealing that is. 

“You know about that?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I think I should take my cue to leave” Yixing says standing up “Bring your friend any time the shop is open. Donations would be appreciated but I’ll never charge for things like this.”

“Thank you so much” Sehun smiles “As soon as I get money, I’ll give some to you.” 

“If you’re here does that mean your body is gone?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I don’t know, maybe I should check” Sehun shrugs. 

“Why aren’t you freaking out?” Junmyeon says looking at Sehun carefully. 

“As a ghost, I was always sorta in denial about being dead so this doesn’t feel so weird” Sehun answers “Touching things is weird though, the ground is cold and hard. Very strange.”

“Where are you going to sleep tonight?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Oh yeah, sleep. Haven’t done that in years” Sehun nods “Chanyeol. Oh my god, Chanyeol. I need to call him. Give me your phone.”

“Wait, Sehun” Junmyeon says pausing “Don’t you think you should think about how to break the news? I mean you don’t want to traumatize him.”

“But he’s suffered for so long” Sehun frowns “I couldn’t visit him often but sometimes I went over to his apartment at night and he would just stay up so long. He’s so hurt Junmyeon.”

“I’m older than you, you should be calling me hyung” Junmyeon narrows his eyes.

“Alright, hyung” Sehun laughs “I really want to tell Chanyeol I’m ok. I want to tell him about the times he thought he was alone but I was there, listening and wishing I could help him.”

“How often did you come over to my apartment?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Every morning” Sehun smiles “Just while you were eating and stuff. I made you coffee a couple of times. It made me feel more alive.”

“Thanks, I guess” Junmyeon says a little shyly “And you were there when I looked through your social media?”

“That was really sad” Sehun frowns “Kyungsoo hyung had to comfort me for a while after that. I’m going to miss him. He’s my ghost friend by the way.”

“I’m glad you had someone as a ghost too” Junmyeon responds “and Yixing can bring him back too.”

“Yeah. I knew a couple other ghosts before but Kyungsoo was the only one I liked.” Sehun smiles “Now can I please call Chanyeol?”

“No, but I can drive you to his place” Junmyeon answers before getting up “He’s not going to believe a phone call, he can’t deny seeing your face though.”

“I hope he won’t be mad” Sehun says, getting up off the ground. 

“Why would he be mad?” Junmyeon asks. 

“He doesn’t really believe in ghosts. He’s more open-minded than I was but I don’t think he’ll believe I came back from the dead. He’ll probably think I ran away and faked my death somehow” Sehun answers as they start walking out of the shop “It’s the only thing that makes sense, logically.”

“You could be a twin or something” Junmyeon answers.

“A twin that I never told Chanyeol about and happens to know every detail of our lives together?” Sehun laughs. 

“Wait that’s it” Junmyeon says seriously “You just need to tell him what you told me, the night you watched him as a ghost. Tell him all the details and he’ll have to believe you.”

“Oh, I am not going to enjoy reliving that” Sehun sighs before walking straight into Junmyeon’s car door “Shit right, can’t go through things anymore. Ow.”

“Welcome back to humanity” Junmyeon laughs before walking around the car to the driver’s seat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooOoOOOOoooo Sehun's back! also am I the only one who misses Chanyeol in this fic? Poor boy, wonder what he's up to... guess we'll find out right?


	6. Chanyeollie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today but it felt like a good time to end it. Also... I may have teared up while writing this but you have no proof.

They both get in the car and Sehun has to remember to wear a seatbelt, he can die now. Scary to think about in a way, there’s no guarantee he would become a ghost again, most people just go straight to the afterlife. After Junmyeon starts driving, Sehun waits for the sad ballads to start playing but they never do. 

“Why aren’t you playing music?” Sehun asks. 

“Oh, you can put on whatever you want” Junmyeon answers without taking his eyes off the road. 

“I like your music” Sehun says trying to find the playlist on the car display “It comforted me during our drives since you never answered me, well until today.”

“Just how much time did you spend with me?” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Pass” Sehun says quickly. 

“This isn’t a game, you can’t just pass.” Junmyeon laughs. 

“Ghost life is boring ok? So basically any time you were awake, I was beside you.” Sehun admits. 

“Even-” Junmyeon starts.

“I gave you privacy, bathroom, bedroom, etc., never watched you undress or anything creepy like that.” Sehun explains. 

“No, nothing creepy you were just haunting me” Junmyeon chuckles. 

“I wasn’t bothering you, just enjoying your company” Sehun rolls his eyes. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it” Junmyeon smiles and with that Sehun shuts up very quickly, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. 

Sehun’s really not adjusted to being heard. Anytime he whines, Junmyeon responds. It’s weird to experience but Sehun is ecstatic to hear Junmyeon telling him to stop whining. Any response to his actual voice, even hostile, is very welcome. Eventually, they get to Chanyeol’s apartment and Sehun starts getting nervous. This is a huge deal to him, a much bigger deal than talking to Junmyeon for the first time. Chanyeol is by far the most important person in Sehun’s life, he does not want this to go badly. 

“You stay out of sight, I’ll talk to Chanyeol alone first ok?” Junmyeon says. 

“Got it” Sehun nods before hiding behind a large fake potted plant. 

Junmyeon knocks on the door, after a few seconds Chanyeol answers the door. Sehun really wants to look but he told Junmyeon he’d stay out of sight so he stays behind the plant. 

“Hi Chanyeol, I'm here to talk to you about some developments in Sehun’s case” Junmyeon says professionally. 

“Oh ok” Chanyeol answers “you can come in.”

“No that’s ok I’d rather stay here” Junmyeon answers and Sehun smiles because he wants to hear this, he’s not used to not being able to listen in on conversations “I contacted a professor about whether he thought Sehun’s death could have been part of a ritualistic killing.”

“Oh god” Chanyeol says, taking a deep breath. 

“He pointed me to a particular religion and I talked to a practicing member of the religion” Junmyeon explains “He agrees with the professor, it seems to be a ritual for stealing the life force of the victim.”

“He was killed for that?” Chanyeol says sounding defeated “I thought not knowing was worse but knowing he was killed because someone just thought they could steal his life- that’s terrible.”

“He was probably just chosen because he was young and healthy” Junmyeon explains “but I have something else to tell you. You might want to prepare yourself for this.”

“I don’t think it could be worse than Sehun’s murder” Chanyeol answers. 

“It’s not worse” Junmyeon answers “I heard that you don’t have much belief in ghosts?”

“I don’t really have an opinion one way or another” Chanyeol says casually “why?”

“The person I went to see said they could see Sehun” Junmyeon says, trying to ease his way onto the topic “Beside me.”

“So you think Sehun is a ghost?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Not exactly” Junmyeon answers “Part of his religion includes a ceremony to bring ghosts back from the dead. So I helped him perform it.”

“Where is this going?” Chanyeol asks skeptically. 

“Sehun, I think that’s your cue” Junmyeon says, looking over in Sehun’s direction. 

Sehun gets up from behind the plant and walks in front of the door to look at Chanyeol. For once, Chanyeol is looking back at him and it almost scares Sehun, he’s so used to his friend not looking at him. Chanyeol’s eyes widen to a point Sehun didn’t think was physically possible. 

“Chanye-” Sehun starts but is quickly cut off when the door slams in his face “that could have gone better.”

“He’ll probably need some time to process.” Junmyeon says putting a hand on Sehun’s shoulder. 

“Yeah” Sehun nods “Probably.”

Junmyeon and Sehun sit on the floor near the door waiting for Chanyeol to be ready to talk. After a few minutes, Sehun decides to break the silence, realizing he can actually talk to Junmyeon for once.

“You know I heard what Minseok said” Sehun smiles to himself “when you were at work and looking at photos of me online.”

“When I- Oh” Junmyeon laughs awkwardly “I mean that shouldn’t be shocking to you, you saw me lose my mind over you already.”

“I kissed your tears away” Sehun answers “I don’t think it was much comfort though.”

“That was the feeling” Junmyeon mumbles to himself “No you’re right that just freaked me out but I’m glad you told me.”

“Are you not wondering why I kissed you... or reacting to it at all?” Sehun asks. 

“ _ Oh _ ” Junmyeon says softly “Is that why you’ve been following me around so much?”

“It’s one reason” Sehun smiles “Being a ghost is super boring though I wasn’t lying. Also, I like to know what’s going on with my murder case but I would have probably followed you around anyway.”

“Where do we go from here?” Junmyeon asks. 

“A date hopefully” Sehun laughs. 

Before Junmyeon can answer, the door opens which captures both of their attention. 

“You’re still here?” Chanyeol asks looking down at them on the ground. 

“Yeah, are you ok with me being here?” Sehun asks before getting up. 

“Depends on who you really are” Chanyeol answers. 

“That’s fair” Sehun nods. 

“Should I leave?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I might need a ride... somewhere” Sehun answers. 

“Right” Junmyeon nods “I’ll just wait out here then.”

“Can we talk inside?” Sehun asks. 

“Ok” Chanyeol says softly before opening the door wider “The living room is-”

“I know” Sehun says, walking into Chanyeol's apartment. 

“You’ve been here?” Chanyeol asks. 

“As a ghost” Sehun answers “I watched you move in.”

“Sure” Chanyeol nods. 

“I know it’ll take some time to convince you that I am Sehun and I did die and I am back but I really want my best friend back” Sehun admits before sitting on the couch “I feel like the only way to do it is to open old wounds but hopefully me being alive again will fix it.”

“Am I supposed to quiz you, to prove you know me?” Chanyeol asks. 

“That could work” Sehun nods. 

“I believe that you’re Sehun though. I just- I don’t know about all the ghost stuff. I’m trying not to let myself think about you faking your death because that would be so cruel and the Sehun I knew wasn’t like that” Chanyeol explains. 

“I would never have hurt you like that” Sehun answers “Never, and if I had how would I have gotten a body- ok I’m gonna stop right there because I really can’t handle thinking about the way I was killed. I can throw up now, I’m not taking chances.”

“I need something” Chanyeol says “Something that proves you’re not lying. I trust you but I just don’t think I can trust you more than all the laws of the universe.”

“After I died, I woke up I guess, in our apartment. On the floor. The rug was gone and the place was a mess. I didn’t know what was going on. Then I saw you walk out of your room wearing your black suit. I got up and I tried to make fun of you for looking so fancy but you ignored me. I kept trying to get a reaction because I thought you were just joking around” Sehun says, telling Chanyeol the memory “Then I tried to punch you in the arm and I went right through and landed on the ground. After that, I kinda caught on but it wasn’t until I followed you to the funeral that it fully set in. You got up and started talking into the mic. You got out a few words and then just broke down. I tried so hard to comfort you-”

“That doesn’t prove anything” Chanyeol interrupts “you could have guessed all of that.”

“Ok” Sehun nods “What about that night? That should prove I’m not lying. When you got home you didn’t go to your room, you went to mine. I didn’t exactly know why but then you started talking. You said that you thought it was a dream, every day you woke up thinking my death was just a dream. You’d smile thinking it didn’t happen until reality caught up to you and it was like I was dying all over again. It was like you walked into the apartment after you came back from seeing your parents and you saw my body all over again.”

Sehun has to take a small pause to wipe his tears thinking about that moment.

“Chanyeol I didn’t know how I had died, I didn’t- I still don’t remember that night but you described what it looked like and I lost it. I couldn’t handle that it happened to me but worse was that you had to see that. You had that memory burned into your brain and I didn’t. You had to suffer so much and all I could do was watch.” Sehun says as tears stream down his face “You had to tell the story to the detectives and relive it over and over again. I would try to stay with you during the night but after the weeks of watching you wake up screaming because of your nightmares, I couldn’t handle it. Then you’d talk about how you thought about how much pain I was in while I was being killed but I wasn’t, you kept thinking the worst and I couldn’t tell you you were wrong. I couldn’t tell you that I was ok, I just had to watch you live through all the pain I never had. I felt terrible, I couldn’t even help so why did it matter if I couldn’t be there anymore you know? But I knew. I knew I was abandoning you to suffer alone while I lived in denial. I’m so sorry Chanyeol I shouldn’t have-”

Chanyeol tackles Sehun and wraps him up in a bone-crushing hug. Sehun is shocked for a minute but he quickly hugs back and he can feel Chanyeol crying. 

“Don’t ever fucking die again” Chanyeol sobs “I don’t care if you can come back again. Do not die, ever again. Never, I don’t care how old you are.”

“Ok” Sehun laughs through some of his tears “I won’t die.”

“No more drinking alone either” Chanyeol continues to cry “I missed you so much Sehun. There’s so much I have to tell you.”

“I heard most of it” Sehun smiles “I knew the times when you liked to talk to me so I came by to listen.”

“You heard me” Chanyeol repeats “I just- I can’t explain what this means to me but you know already. I wish you hadn’t seen me cry so much though.”

“I was crying too” Sehun answers “You could talk to me and I could listen but I could never answer you. I could never comfort you the way you were asking me to. I wanted to so badly Chanyeol.”

“You’re doing it now” Chanyeol says before finally letting go of Sehun “Can you sleep over here? I don’t think I’d be able to wake up tomorrow without you here.” 

“I’m scared to wake up and become a memory again. I mean ghosts can’t sleep so that should be all the proof I need but” Sehun says wiping his tears “Yeah I want to stay here.”

“Great” Chanyeol smiles “Can we watch a movie together or something?”

“I’d really like that” Sehun nods “first I should tell Junmyeon hyung about this.”

“You seem sorta close with him” Chanyeol mentions. 

“He’s a really good guy” Sehun smiles shyly “I’ll tell you about it later. I have a few things to tell you actually. I might have been dead but I was still doing stuff.”

“Maybe stop saying the d word” Chanyeol says seriously “I don’t want to think about it.”

“Ok” Sehun agrees before heading to the front door.

Sehun steps out of Chanyeol’s apartment and looks down at the ground where Junmyeon was sitting. Looks like Junmyeon fell asleep on the ground while waiting. Chanyeol and Sehun hadn’t been talking for that long so Junmyeon just must have been really tired. 

Sehun crouches down and tries to wake Junmyeon up very softly by shaking his shoulder. Junmyeon blinks a couple of times with the cutest sleepy pout on his face and Sehun can’t help but smile at the sight. 

“I’ll be staying here at Chanyeol’s but thank you for waiting” Sehun says softly. 

“Yeah ok” Junmyeon nods before starting to get up “Are you going to be staying here from now on?”

“Probably” Sehun nods. 

“Ok, I might need to ask you some questions about your murder later but I want to let you readjust a bit first” Junmyeon explains. 

“Not a fun topic for a first date” Sehun frowns cutely. 

“I wouldn’t bring it up on our date” Junmyeon laughs “we’ll need to plan that too.”

“I would ask you to call me but I don’t have a phone” Sehun smiles.

“You’re probably going to need a lot of stuff now huh?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah like ID” Sehun says biting his lip “I’ll worry about it later.”

“I’ll try to find a way to get you ID legally” Junmyeon smiles “Well I better go, I hope you and Chanyeol have a fun time catching up.”

“Thanks hyung” Sehun smiles before watching Junmyeon walk away. 

Sehun walks back into the apartment to see Chanyeol right beside the door. 

“Date huh?” Chanyeol smiles. 

“Did you see how hot he was? How was I supposed to not fall for him? He’s really smart too and dedicated” Sehun starts to gush “He went through my entire IG and I don’t know I just felt a connection, he did too even though he thought I was d- not there.”

“That’s an interesting meet-cute. Previously murdered victim and his detective, don’t hear that often” Chanyeol laughs “or at all really.”

“Maybe we’re soulmates” Sehun smiles. 

“Honestly, sounds like it” Chanyeol nods. 

“So movie?” Sehun asks. 

“Yes! So many Marvel movies have come out in the past 3 years and I always thought about what it would be like to watch them with you” Chanyeol says excitedly. 

“I’ve watched most of them actually except... the latest spider-man” Sehun answers. 

“I have it, let’s watch it” Chanyeol says before walking back towards the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really looking up :,)


	7. Seho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are gonna start getting longer I think, that or the last one will just be extra long

It takes a little while for Sehun to settle into being alive again. He feels bad for putting a lot of pressure on Chanyeol but he really doesn’t seem to care, he’s more than happy to buy Sehun new things so they can comfortably live together. He got him a brand new bed and a phone, Sehun knew he was making some money producing songs but from what Chanyeol’s said it seems to be a good amount of money. Sehun fully intends to pay Chanyeol back for everything once he can figure out how to live again. He’s definitely not going to be able to go back to school so he needs to think of something else. For now, though he’s just trying to do basic stuff like go tell his family that he’s not dead. 

“How’d it go?” Chanyeol asks as Sehun walks back into the apartment. 

“Good mostly?” Sehun answers “When I saw them all my memories of them came back which was very weird but good. I was worried they would stay foggy. My parents believed me, it took hours for me to convince them but they eventually accepted. My brother though...”

“Didn’t accept it?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Nope and I think he hates me for ‘faking my death’” Sehun sighs “I don’t think I’ll ever win him over... maybe my parents can convince him, I don’t know.”

“It’s good to hope” Chanyeol smiles “and if he doesn’t I can just become your only brother.”

“Thanks, Chanyeol” Sehun says with a small smile “Also... they gave me my life insurance money to pay for his expenses until he gets back on my feet.”

“How much is that?” Chanyeol asks. 

“They used some of it but there’s still... a lot” Sehun laughs “So I’ll pay you back for the bed and the phone, I can also cover my half of rent and groceries. As soon as I get a bank account anyway, can’t have the money until then.”

“Maybe we can find a place with two rooms” Chanyeol offers. 

“Later” Sehun says “I think we both need to share a room for a little longer.”

“Yeah definitely” Chanyeol nods enthusiastically.

“You’re sleeping better now” Sehun smiles. 

“Did you watch me sleep while you were invisible?” Chanyeol laughs. 

“I wanted to check up on you!” Sehun defends “So yeah a few times... any time I could handle seeing you.”

“I am happier now” Chanyeol smiles “That reminds me I really need to send that Yixing guy the biggest fruit basket.”

“Oh I have money now” Sehun says, realizing the implication “I can thank him properly!”

“We’ll go see him at some point” Chanyeol agrees. 

At that moment there’s a knock on their door so Sehun goes to answer it. 

“Hyung?” Sehun asks seeing Junmyeon. 

“Hey, Sehun I have some stuff for you” Junmyeon smiles “Also just to let you know, I had to have your body exhumed and it’s definitely still there. That was not fun to see.”

“Oh gross I could live without knowing that” Sehun cringes before opening the door. 

“I needed a DNA test” Junmyeon says while walking in. 

“Why?” Sehun asks. 

“To convince Minseok to pull some strings” Junmyeon answers “He knows about the ghost thing by the way. Took him physical DNA proof to convince him but he believes you now.”

“That’s why you wanted Sehun’s DNA” Chanyeol says in realization. 

“Did you think I did a cheek swab for fun?” Junmyeon asks, Chanyeol just shrugs in response “anyway, the point is, I have some legal papers for you. You are official Oh Seho, Oh Sehun’s twin brother.”

“I’m my own twin” Sehun smiles “Cool, at least I can open up a bank now.”

“How have you been living without a bank account?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I pay for everything” Chanyeol laughs “But it’s a very small price to pay for getting my best friend back.”

“I will pay him back” Sehun corrects. 

“I know I’m just messing with you” Chanyeol says playfully punching Sehun’s arm. 

“I had another reason for dropping by but I sort of need to talk to Sehun privately” Junmyeon says somewhat awkwardly. 

“Oh sure” Chanyeol nods before leaving them alone. 

Junmyeon and Sehun wait in silence for Chanyeol to leave earshot. Sehun starts getting really nervous because he really doesn’t know what Junmyeon is going to talk about. Maybe his case is getting dropped or he’s been working it without Sehun- wait obviously he has unless they pulled him from the case...

“Can I get your number?” Junmyeon asks and it takes Sehun a second to realize what Junmyeon asks. 

“Oh sure” Sehun smiles getting his phone out “I guess I should have dropped by your apartment after I got it to give you my number huh?”

“I’m sure you were busy enough” Junmyeon laughs before putting Sehun’s number in his phone. 

“Definitely busier than being a ghost” Sehun laughs before wondering why Junmyeon thought this had to be a private conversation “Did you just want to ask for my number?”

“Oh! No, I was wondering if you were busy right now?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Not really, just came back from my parent’s place so I was just going to have dinner with Chanyeol or something” Sehun answers. 

“Would you rather have dinner with me?” Junmyeon asks with a flirtatious smile. 

“Depends” Sehun says crossing his arms “Is this dinner a date?”

“I hope so” Junmyeon laughs. 

“Then I would love to go with you” Sehun smiles “Let me get changed and we can go.”

“I’ll wait here” Junmyeon nods. 

Sehun calmly walks towards his room but once he’s out of sight he starts racing. He completely ignores Chanyeol when he enters their room, headed straight for the closet inside. Sehun goes through his side of the closet looking for anything good to wear, he hasn’t really bought much clothing. 

“Just going out on a limb here but he asked you out, right?” Chanyeol laughs while looking over at Sehun from his bed. 

“Yes now find me something nice to wear” Sehun answers “God I miss my old closet.”

Sehun has always had a pretty significant interest in fashion, he likes looking good. Chanyeol does too but he prefers buying things that match his personal laid-back fashion, whereas Sehun was always more into designer fashion or anything chic. He likes laid-back stuff too but not for a date. Unfortunately, his current options are very limited.

“Better having a few outfits than the one you were stuck in for three years” Chanyeol laughs. 

“Yes, but that’s not relevant. Junmyeon is waiting and I need something good enough for a dinner date” Sehun says in frustration looking at his 2 t-shirts and 1 sweater trying to figure out which is best. 

“Here” Chanyeol says getting off his bed and walking up to the closet before taking out one of his button-ups “This one is sort of tight on me, should fit you well.”

“Thanks, Chanyeol” Sehun smiles looking at the shirt “That’ll work perfectly, goes well with these pants too”

Sehun takes the shirt and heads towards the bathroom. Before he leaves their bedroom he turns back to look at Chanyeol.

“But as soon as I get money, I’m going shopping and I will drag you with me” Sehun jokes before leaving the room. 

Once Sehun is changed and makes sure his hair looks good, it always does, he goes to meet Junmyeon back at the door where he was waiting. 

“Ready” Sehun smiles. 

“Great” Junmyeon says before looking Sehun up and down “You look really good.”

“You too” Sehun smirks. 

Junmyeon seems a little shocked by Sehun flirting back, Sehun only now realizes that he’s never been flirty around Junmyeon when he could see him. He did say he liked him and acted cute around him but he never complimented him or smirked at him. He likes seeing Junmyeon flustered though so he’ll have to do it more often. Junmyeon clears his throat and looks away from Sehun to regain his composure. 

“Let’s go” Junmyeon says. 

After a short ride in Junmyeon’s car, they arrive at a very nice-looking restaurant and Sehun is very happy he decided to change. Once they’re seated, they both order their entrees and a dessert to split which Sehun is very excited about. 

“You’ve heard me talk a lot since I started your case but I’ve barely talked to you at all. I still have this feeling that I know you though, is that weird?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I don’t think it’s weird, people get to know people purely online and there’s nothing less real about that” Sehun mentions “I mean I know it’s different but you can learn a lot about someone from their Instagram... especially mine. I really shouldn’t have posted as much.”

“It’s cute” Junmyeon smiles before reaching for his glass of water “I really like how real you were, unashamed. It’s inspiring.”

“So what you’re saying is confidence is sexy?” Sehun smiles mischievously. 

Junmyeon practically spits out his water at the sight, luckily he manages to drink it without choking. 

“This, this part I wasn’t expecting” Junmyeon laughs. 

“The thirst traps never tipped you off?” Sehun says casually, usually he wouldn’t be so open with someone but this isn’t just someone this is  _ Junmyeon _ . His human obsession, he’s never wanted to hide himself from Junmyeon. Now that Junmyeon can actually see him, it would be nice if Sehun could be perfectly himself without holding back. 

“I guess I should have seen that coming but Minseok posts things like that and he’s never like this” Junmyeon explains. 

“Yeah and he’s also probably not obsessed with your existence” Sehun scoffs before realizing what he said “Let’s forget I said that.”

“It’s ok” Junmyeon smiles “I’m a little obsessed too.”

Sehun just smiles to himself and tries to hold back his blush but unfortunately, humans can’t control blushing. Fortunately, it looks like the universe has pitied him once more and the arrival of their food changes the subject quickly. 

Sehun really enjoys talking to Junmyeon, their conversations all come easily, as if they both know each other really well. Junmyeon seems to get the same feeling based on how open and happy he is, Sehun’s never really seen Junmyeon this relaxed before and they aren’t even drinking. 

“Can you tell me something I might not know about you?” Junmyeon asks with a smile. 

“What do you have in mind?” Sehun asks, raising an eyebrow “Wanna know about ex-boyfriends or something?”

“I was thinking more like things you like doing? Hobbies?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I’m into the MCU” Sehun answers “Well Chanyeol dragged me into it but I do love action movies. I’m also super into bubble tea.”

“Really? You never posted about it” Junmyeon says. 

“Yeah, bubble tea pictures were a Snapchat-only thing” Sehun smiles “Chocolate bubble tea is my favourite.”

“I’ll remember that” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Even though I followed you around for a while I’m sure there’s plenty I don’t know about you too” Sehun says before taking a bite of his food. 

“Yeah, there’s definitely a lot you don’t know” Junmyeon agrees before eating his food. 

“Wow” Sehun smiles “Kinky”

“What? No! That’s not what I meant  _ at all _ ” Junmyeon flushes red. 

“Relax, I was just joking” Sehun laughs “I was sort of wondering why you picked my case though, still can’t really figure that one out.”

“I had to pick one, so I picked a murder. Figured that would be the most beneficial one. I didn’t know any of the details when I picked it up. It just... looked like a nice one I guess.” Junmyeon explains. 

“You liked my name?” Sehun asks. 

“Yeah, it’s a nice name” Junmyeon nods. 

“Why keep it though, why not switch to an easier or less... freaky case?” Sehun asks. 

“Because as soon as I saw it I knew you really deserved to have your murder solved, your friends and family deserved answers too” Junmyeon answers “It might have been harder for me but that’s not really relevant, all that matters is what I can do for other people.”

“Wow” Sehun says shyly “You’re a really good person.”

“Did you not think I was before?” Junmyeon asks with a small smile to show he’s just teasing.

“You know I did” Sehun laughs “You’re an amazing person and I’m lucky to be on a date with you. Actually lucky isn’t a strong enough word... it’s a miracle.”

“I would disagree but you did literally have to come back from the dead to go on this date” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Exactly” Sehun smirks “Now I can always say it’s a miracle I’m with you and you can’t even disagree.”

“Are you trying to make me lose my mind?” Junmyeon laughs. 

“As long as it’s because I’m complimenting you, yes” Sehun says giving Junmyeon the biggest heart eyes “Plus the way your face lights up when you’re flustered is the best encouragement to keep doing it.”

Junmyeon lets out a small laugh before a huge smile spreads across his face, his shoulders tense upwards a bit too making the sight extra cute. 

“Like that!” Sehun says excitedly “Exactly like that, I love it.”

Sehun finds the table between them extremely inconvenient. He can’t kiss Junmyeon or even really touch him while they're sitting and eating. He does grab Junmyeon’s free hand while they share the dessert but it’s not enough. He wants way more than that. It might only be a first date but Sehun has literally been dying to kiss Junmyeon, among other things. Now they’re finally on a date and the best he can do is play footsie. 

They finish dessert and Junmyeon covers the bill, saying he was the one who asked Sehun out so it’s only fair. Sehun wasn’t really going to complain because he didn’t even bring cash with him. Sehun starts getting sad once they leave the restaurant because it means their date is ending. All they’ll have are sad ballads in the car, not that Sehun won’t enjoy them but he likes Junmyeon a lot more. 

Sehun steps out on the road towards where Junmyeon’s car is parked but the second his foot hits the road, Junmyeon grabs his arm and pulls back quickly. Suddenly, Sehun is pulled directly into Junmyeon’s chest, as he stumbles, trying to regain his footing he fully falls onto Junmyeon. Luckily, Junmyeon is strong and can handle the hit without falling back. The only thing is Junmyeon hasn’t let go of Sehun’s arm and is essentially holding Sehun tightly against his body. Their faces are so close Sehun can feel Junmyeon’s breath. His heart is racing and he feels like his whole body is on fire.

“Don’t die again” Junmyeon smiles before realizing how close he pulled Sehun to his body, his facial expression immediately “You would have gotten hit by the car.”

“Checking both ways doesn’t apply to ghosts” Sehun whispers before Junmyeon lets go of his arm but Sehun quickly grabs Junmyeon’s hand before he can pull away. Sehun looks directly at Junmyeon’s lips, making his intentions clear. Junmyeon stays put, not trying to pull away anymore since he can see Sehun isn’t uncomfortable. Sehun takes that as a clear sign that they’re on the same page “I’ve thought about this a lot.”

“Getting hit by a car?” Junmyeon teases.

“Don’t mess with me” Sehun growls leaning further close to Junmyeon to the point where he can’t see Junmyeon’s entire face anymore “your move.”

Junmyeon doesn’t hesitate to close the distance, capturing Sehun’s lips with passion. Sehun immediately lets go of Junmyeon’s hand in favour of wrapping both his arms around Junmyeon's small waist. Sehun’s brain can’t even keep up with all the sensations, he hasn’t been alive again for that long so having all his neurons firing at once is overwhelming a bit. He can’t figure out if he should focus on how soft Junmyeon’s lips are or how good feels in Sehun’s arms. When Junmyeon runs a hand down Sehun's spine, Sehun breaks the kiss just to gasp at the feeling. Sehun leans forward to kiss Junmyeon again but Junmyeon takes a step back, pulling his arms off Sehun, leaving him feeling somewhat cold. 

“We’re in public” Junmyeon chuckles. 

“But-” Sehun says still panting

“Next time” Junmyeon says with finality.

“Next time?” Sehun asks with a small smile. 

“As if you didn’t know” Junmyeon rolls his eyes “You’re planning the next date though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe seho


	8. Pinches

Sehun’s days end up being pretty boring. He texts Junmyeon when he can but Junmyeon’s work keeps him pretty busy, even some weekends. Sehun doesn’t know if he’s still working his case or another case. He assumed that Junmyeon would tell him but he hasn’t even mentioned it at all which makes Sehun feel like he maybe shouldn’t even ask. 

Sehun tracks Chanyeol down in the apartment which isn't difficult since it’s not that big. Chanyeol is just in their room, sitting at the desk. Sehun walks over to where Chanyeol is writing some random little things on a piece of paper. 

“You busy?” Sehun asks while poking Chanyeol’s shoulder. 

“I’m writing lyrics” Chanyeol answers before erasing something. 

“I thought you just composed” Sehun answers. 

“I usually write the lyrics too so I can work out the melody, some companies change them, some don’t” Chanyeol answers. 

“Cool” Sehun nods “But essentially, you’re not busy right?”

“Brat” Chanyeol laughs “Alright, what do you want?”

“I don’t know how to talk to Junmyeon” Sehun says. 

“Didn’t you go out with him yesterday? If you guys weren’t talking, what were you doing?” Chanyeol jokes before his face shifts to disgust “Nevermind, I don’t want to hear it.”

“We were talking” Sehun laughs “I mean, I don't know how to talk to him about my murder case.”

“Don’t like that word” Chanyeol pouts. 

“Fine, my attempted murder case” Sehun rolls his eyes “I don’t know if he’s still working it. If he is, why hasn’t he asked me about it? But if he’s not why didn’t he tell me... it’s kind of driving me crazy. I just want to know what’s going on with it. It’s like my  _ thing _ , I just want to know.”

“Alright I get it, you want to know” Chanyeol laughs “You could bring it up on your next date or you could text him. If you really want to be professional, as your own twin, you can ask the precinct about your twin’s case. Up to you.”

“I guess” Sehun sighs “I’m kind of worried about them closing it though.”

“Why? You really want to know about your mur- attempted murder that much?” Chanyeol asks. 

“It was my ghostly purpose but now... I don’t know I’m just bored” Sehun frowns “I have nothing to do.”

“Get a job” Chanyeol offers. 

“Money is not a problem” Sehun scoffs. 

“Not for money but also money is good, you might have money for the next little while but you have a retirement to plan for. Maybe a wedding, kids, kid’s college, whatever you’re into” Chanyeol explains “Important to start saving up young.”

“Been alive a week and a half and I already have to save for retirement? Life sucks” Sehun jokes. 

“Try to find a job you’ll like doing” Chanyeol offers “Plus it’ll give you something to do.”

“I don’t know what I want to do with my life, that’s why I was in university” Sehun frowns “Can’t I just find us a new place?”

“I mean we won’t be moving for a little while but why not” Chanyeol shrugs. 

“Good I’ll just do that then” Sehun concludes. 

Sehun debates whether he should text Junmyeon about his case or not but he has a hard time finding the right words, maybe in person it would be easier? Sehun sighs in frustration, apartment hunting is a lot less stressful. Although after a couple of hours, Sehun gets bored of that too. It’s interesting but Sehun’s just not in the mood. He’s restless. Without Chanyeol to play around with, Sehun feels lonely too. Which is weird because as a ghost he didn’t usually feel lonely and there was only one person in the whole world he could talk to. Sehun misses Kyungsoo. He made sure to walk around most of the places he and Kyungsoo used to hang out at, that way Kyungsoo knows he’s alive again and well but while Kyungsoo can see and hear Sehun, Sehun can’t interact with his friend. One of his two best friends. It’s like he went from having just Kyungsoo to having just Chanyeol but Sehun doesn’t want just one best friend. He wants them both. 

“I’m going out!” Sehun yells as he closes his laptop and heads for the door. 

“K bye!” Chanyeol yells back “Stay safe!”

“Very safe” Sehun laughs, Chanyeol has a right to be protective so Sehun never questions it. 

Sehun takes public transit straight from his apartment to the stop near Jongin’s house. He’s waited long enough, it’s time for him to convince Jongin to help bring Kyungsoo back. He’s not sure how to go about it but he’ll do everything he can. Shouldn’t be too hard right? Jongin definitely would do anything to get Kyungsoo back. 

He knocks on the door and waits for Jongin to answer. 

“Hello?” Jongin asks. 

“Hi” Sehun smiles “My name is Sehun, I’m a friend of your husband.”

“Late husband” Jongin corrects. 

“Yes I know” Sehun says making sure to put on a frown “I was just wondering if I could talk to you... about Kyungsoo hyung.”

“Ok” Jongin nods before opening the door to let Sehun in “Do you want anything to drink?”

“No I’m fine thank you” Sehun smiles “Random question but have you had a near-death experience recently?”

“I almost tripped down the stairs to answer the door” Jongin answers “What gave it away?”

“Noth-” Sehun starts but realizes it would make more sense to Jongin if there was a reason he knew “You seem a little out of breath.”

“Oh” Jongin laughs before walking forwards “The living room is this way.”

Sehun has to catch himself from saying he knows the way already. If Jongin almost died, that means Kyungsoo is here which is good. If Kyungsoo can help him in any way that would be useful, plus he knows Kyungsoo will be aware of the plan too. Well, he already knew Sehun was going to do this, but he'll have all the details.

Jongin and Sehun sit down on the furniture in the living room and wait a few seconds before Jongin speaks up. 

“So how did you know my husband? I don’t think we’ve ever met” Jongin says, breaking the awkward silence. 

“Through work” Sehun answers quickly “I deliver most of the food to the restaurant.”

“You were friends just from that?” Jongin asks. 

“Took a while to build a friendship but yeah” Sehun lies “Kyungsoo hyung told me you don’t believe in ghosts?”

“No” Jongin shakes his head “It would be nice to think that Kyungsoo hyung was still here with me but it’s just not true- sorry if you believe in that.”

“I didn’t but I had some enlightening experiences” Sehun answers truthfully. 

“I’m guessing they have to do with my husband?” Jongin asks not looking particularly happy “Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes and no” Sehun answers “but I do believe your husband is a ghost-ow!”

“Are you ok?” Jongin asks. 

“Yeah just felt a pinch on the back of my neck” Sehun says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Are you going to imply my husband pinched you?” Jongin deadpans. 

“No, I probably slept wrong last night” Sehun smiles realizing he’s probably losing Jongin’s trust “You know what, on second thought I am kind of thirsty, could I have a glass of water?”

“Oh sure” Jongin nods before getting up and leaving the room. 

“Hyung, sit down in front of me so this is less weird and listen” Sehun says once Jongin is definitely out of earshot.  Sehun waits a couple of seconds before continuing "Yixing, the wizard dude, told me  I need someone who knew you when you were alive to help with the ceremony, so not me. I’m not gonna fully out you to Jongin but I do need him to cooperate. You too, by the way, you’ll need to be there. If you understand, do something.”

Sehun waits for some sort of sign before he feels another pinch on his neck. 

“Stop being so pinchy!” Sehun whines. 

“You need a better pillow” Jongin laughs, walking back into the room with a glass of water. 

“I just got a new pillow, that must be the problem” Sehun smiles before taking the glass “Thank you.”

“So why do you think Kyungsoo hyung is a ghost?” Jongin asks. 

“You’re open to the idea?” Sehun asks. 

“I want to hear it” Jongin answers simply. 

“There are just little signs” Sehun lies “There are touches and feelings I can’t explain. Once I was choking and I swear someone hit me on the back until I coughed it up.”

Jongin’s expression switches from nonchalant to surprised and almost worried. Clearly, Sehun struck a chord, hopefully, the right one. 

“Does that happen to you?” Sehun asks. 

“No” Jongin dismisses but he’s clearly lying “Why do you think it’s my husband though. Couldn’t that be any ghost or a guardian angel or something?”

“I bet he thinks of himself as a guardian angel” Sehun chuckles before feeling another pinch on his neck, he’s 2 seconds from cursing Kyungsoo out before deciding it’s ultimately a bad plan “I think it’s Kyungsoo hyung because... I don’t know anyone else who’s died... recently. It started just after his death so I connected the dots.”

“Ok” Jongin says as if he’s no longer interested

“I can prove it” Sehun says, trying to grab Jongin’s interest “There’s someone I know who can see ghosts.”

“Right, I’m sure they can” Jongin smiles in a way that shows he doesn’t believe it. 

“He can and better than that, he knows how to bring back ghosts” Sehun adds. 

“And you believe him? Don’t you think there would be a bunch of people coming back from the dead if that were true? It would be on the news” Jongin dismisses. 

“It doesn’t work for most people, he says almost no one becomes a ghost and only people who didn’t die of natural causes can be brought back. Since Kyungsoo hyung died in a car crash, he can be brought back.” Sehun explains “Plus people can get fake identities, witness protection does it all the time. People who come back from the dead probably don’t want anyone to know.”

“Then why haven’t you brought Kyungsoo hyung back if this works so well?” Jongin asks. 

“I can’t, only someone who- only his husband can” Sehun explains, omitting the truth a bit. 

“How much would this cost?” Jongin asks, sighing. 

“Nothing, Yixing hyung works for donations and I’d pay him a lot for this. I want Kyungsoo hyung back too” Sehun explains. 

“I don’t believe you. I’m going to get there, it’ll seem like something’s happening but then suddenly you’ll need money for it to keep working and you think that when I’m emotionally vulnerable like that you’ll be able to manipulate me.” Jongin says in a frustrated tone “You two should feel ashamed for exploiting widows. Did you even know Kyungsoo hyung?”

“Yes!” Sehun says, feeling terrible, he’s losing his only chance to bring Kyungsoo back “He’s one of my best friends!”

“Bullshit! You think I don’t know his best friends? Who are you really?” Jongin asks “You know what, I don’t even care. Get out of my house and don’t talk to me ever again!” 

“I’m not lying Jongin, Kyungsoo hyung is here and I think you know that” Sehun says quickly “You can’t pretend you don’t feel someone grabbing you before you get hurt and keeping you safe, you can feel it! Don’t lie to yourself! You know Kyungsoo-ow! Hyung fuck off! I’m trying to salvage this!” 

“Clearly he wants you to leave too, so get out!” Jongin yells in a mocking tone.

“Fine but if you find that I’m right and that you want to give Yixing a shot, call me!” Sehun says shoving a paper with his address and number into Jongin’s palm “And hyung! I know you don’t want to freak Jongin out but I’ve ruined that anyway so just make your existence extra obvious. Hold his hands, kiss him, whatever you can! At least then I might have a chance of bringing you back!” 

“Leave before I call the police!” Jongin yells. 

“I’m leaving!” Sehun says walking straight out the door. 

By the time Sehun reaches public transport the adrenaline in his system has run out and the truth of what just happened comes crashing into him. He fucked up, Jongin won’t want anything to do with him anymore and he’ll never get Kyungsoo back. He’ll never see him again and it’s all his fault. He should have been more prepared, he shouldn’t have pushed so hard. Sehun feels his tears run down his face and all he wants is to crawl into a ball and hide from the world. Before he knows what he’s doing, he’s calling Junmyeon.

“Hyung” Sehun croaks out. 

“Sehun? Are you ok? Where are you, do you need help?” Junmyeon blurts out. 

“I’m ok, it has to do with Kyungsoo hyung” Sehun says wiping his tears “I just- can I come over? I need someone.”

“You don’t want Chanyeol?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I want you” Sehun says between sobs. 

“Ok, you can come over. Make sure you tell Chanyeol though” Junmyeon says calmly. 

“Ok  _ mom _ ” Sehun laughs lightly through the tears. 

“You literally died Sehun, the people in your life are allowed to be paranoid” Junmyeon replies softly. 

“You’re a person in my life?” Sehun says feeling a bit of warmth spread through his chest, healing the pain just a tiny bit. 

“Technically anyone you know is but yes, I’d like to hope I’m important to you because you’re important to me” Junmyeon says truthfully. 

“The bus is here” Sehun says before walking towards it “I’ll be at your place soon.”

“I’ll be waiting” Junmyeon answers “bye Sehun.”

“Bye hyung” Sehun says before hanging up and paying the bus fee. 

Sehun, like most people, doesn’t like crying in public so he puts his earphones in and cranks the music so loud he can’t hear it. It’s a very temporary solution but that’s all he needs right now. He texts Chanyeol to tell him he’ll be at Junmyeon’s place and the only response he gets is a winky face that makes him laugh a bit. Before Sehun knows it, he’s welcomed into Junmyeon’s apartment. 

“You said it was about Kyungsoo? That’s your ghost friend right?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah” Sehun nods “I went to talk to his husband about reviving Kyungsoo.”

“And it didn’t go well?” 

“He doesn’t believe in ghosts and I think Kyungsoo is mad at me cause he kept pinching me” Sehun frowns “I just really miss him and I know I always knew him as a ghost but now it’s like...”

“He’s dead?” Junmyeon finishes. 

“Yeah” Sehun nods “I ruined the chance at bringing him back so now he’s really dead.”

“Maybe his husband will come around” Junmyeon offers. 

“Maybe” Sehun says sadly “or maybe he won’t, he seemed really mad at me for “trying to scam him” but I didn’t ask for money! I told him Yixing doesn’t charge!” 

“Do you know anyone else in Kyungsoo’s life who has a better chance of agreeing?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I don’t know... he has parents, an older brother... some friends” Sehun says “I don’t really know any of them, I know Jongin. He doesn’t know me but I know him. I always thought we’d get along well. I know we’re born the same year and he’s kind of silly. I liked him and now he hates me.”

“I’m sorry Sehun” Junmyeon says before wrapping Sehun in a hug “none of this is easy but you’ll find a way to make it right, I know you will.”

“What if I can’t?” Sehun mumbles sadly. 

“Then I’ll still be here, Chanyeol will be here and you can still talk to Kyungsoo. He’s still there, maybe he’ll even pinch you again” Junmyeon laughs. 

“I guess” Sehun smiles a bit before pulling out of the hug. 

“What do you want to do now?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I don’t know” Sehun says, pressing his lips into a tight line “Could we watch a movie or something?”

“I have Kingsman 2” Junmyeon offers “You said you like action movies right?”

“Yeah” Sehun smiles at the fact Junmyeon remembered “I’d like to watch it.”

They both head to the living room and Junmyeon sets up the movie while Sehun patiently waits on the couch. When Junmyeon sits down, Sehun immediately moves closer to cuddle. Junmyeon looks surprised for a second before smiling softly and wrapping an arm around Sehun. 

“This is our second date now” Sehun says softly. 

“Ok” Junmyeon laughs at Sehun’s cuteness “Does that mean I’m on the hook for planning the third one?”

“Yes” Sehun smiles mischievously before turning his head to look at Junmyeon. 

Junmyeon is really beautiful, Sehun always thought he was but he’s so much more beautiful now. When Sehun looks at his face he sees the person he is and what he means to Sehun, it makes his heart swell. Junmyeon is always helping Sehun, with the murder case, reviving him and comforting him when he needs it. Junmyeon always helps him, always makes sure Sehun gets nothing but the best and that makes him truly beautiful. His soft smile looking at Sehun is just so amazing, Sehun wants nothing more than to kiss him so he leans forward, waiting for Junmyeon to understand. Junmyeon just smiles a little brighter before softly pressing his lips against Sehun’s for one of the purest kisses Sehun has ever had. It feels sweet but above all it feels comforting, knowing Junmyeon really cares. It might be a very soft kiss but it’s one of Sehun’s favourites, because of the tender emotions behind it. 

“You’re really beautiful” Junmyeon whispers while pulling away. 

“That’s my line” Sehun chuckles. 

Junmyeon smiles before picking up the remote and hitting play. Sehun has never seen this movie, he saw the original and even though the second one came out before his death, he just never got around to watching it. There’s quite a bit of death and gore in it but Sehun doesn’t really mind, it’s just a movie. Junmyeon seems concerned though. Probably for Sehun but it’s not like Sehun has any sort of trauma regarding his death, he doesn’t remember it. Of course, Sehun never technically told Junmyeon that so maybe he thinks Sehun does remember it. After the movie ends, Sehun decides to talk about it. 

“Are you still working on my homicide case?” Sehun asks “if you can tell me.”

“I am working on it” Junmyeon nods “is that ok?”

“Yeah, I just kind of hoped I could help. I know you weren’t technically aware of it at the time but I’ve been working on this case too and I miss it in a way” Sehun admits “I want to help, I want to catch the killer too, they deserve to be in jail for the rest of their life for what they’ve done.”

“Ok” Junmyeon nods “Before we keep talking about it, I think we should officially end our date.”

“Sure” Sehun laughs. 

“I have one thing to ask you before it ends” Junmyeon smiles “Sehun, can I be your boyfriend?”

“Yes” Sehun smiles widely before giving Junmyeon a chaste kiss on the lips. 

“Alright, date over” Junmyeon says trying to look serious “I am now detective Junmyeon and I’m going to ask you some questions about your case.”

“Are you allowed to work on your boyfriend’s murder case? Aren’t you too close to it?” Sehun teases. 

“Do you want me to pass the case to Minseok then?” Junmyeon asks. 

“No” Sehun says quietly. 

“Great, so I’ll continue my questioning” Junmyeon laughs “based on previous comments, I’m going to assume you don’t know who killed you?”

“No I don’t” Sehun answers. 

“Do you remember anything from that night?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Nothing” Sehun answers and Junmyeon gets visibly less tense “Nothing but leaving the lecture hall after a super boring class.”

“Probably the drugs caused anterograde amnesia” Junmyeon nods “Did you have plans to drink that night?”

“Yeah cause Chanyeol was out of town and I was super bored” Sehun answers. 

“Would you have let anyone into your apartment, either sober or when drunk?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Uhhh, sober probably only someone I knew or someone who needed help. Drunk... if someone said they were a friend of Chanyeol or something and they needed to grab something from the apartment I would have” Sehun answers “Probably.”

“Ok...” Junmyeon says slowly “You were roofied orally, probably from your drink so would you take a drink someone gave you?”

“No, I’m not an idiot” Sehun shakes his head. 

“What if someone dropped it in a drink you had poured yourself?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah, that makes sense” Sehun nods “So I let someone in the apartment for whatever reason, they put something in my drink while I wasn’t looking and then- well everything else.”

“There might be another way this happened” Junmyeon offers. 

“How?” Sehun asks. 

“If you’re not comfortable answering, you don’t have to” Junmyeon starts “Any chance you picked someone up to spend the night with?”

“Ohhh” Sehun says leaning back “I mean I didn’t do that very often but with Chanyeol out of the apartment it would be- uh anyway yes that’s an option.”

“There were no signs of you entertaining a guest but then again that’s easy enough to clean up after” Junmyeon notes “So in any case, the suspect is probably university-aged?”

“Early twenties to mid-thirties roughly” Sehun nods before Junmyeon gives him a look “What? Some guys in their thirties are really hot!”

“You were 21!” Junmyeon replies. 

“So I was legal” Sehun shrugs.

“Alright well, that doesn’t really narrow any suspects down, not that we have any to start with” Junmyeon sighs “Unless you had someone you called regularly for this type of thing?”

“Nah, I didn’t like the whole friends with benefits thing. One night stands or boyfriends, no inbetween” Sehun answers “You’re definitely the boyfriend one.”

“I know” Junmyeon laughs at Sehun’s flirting. 

“Just clarifying in case I stay the night” Sehun winks. 

“Alright, I think it’s time to conclude this interview” Junmyeon says quickly.

“Does that mean you want me to leave?” Sehun asks. 

“No...” Junmyeon answers somewhat shyly “Sort of the opposite”

“Great, I’ll let Chanyeol know” 


	9. Bubble Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed I switched the chapters from 10 to 11, the ending was getting long so I split it up

A week goes by and Junmyeon is given another case to work on, he still gets to work on Sehun’s case since he asked to continue it but they give him more time-sensitive work as well. Sehun obviously can’t follow him around on the job and he can’t know anything about the new case Junmyeon is working on but Junmyeon gives him little updates on Sehun’s case. They have a list of people who practice the same religion as Yixing. There aren’t that many since it’s a small religion and they’re only looking for people in the area or who were in the area 3 years ago. They try to narrow it down with anyone who has connections to Sehun but there’s no clear candidate. 

Sehun still spends his days flipping through apartment listings or trying to find good jobs that don’t require a degree. So far he doesn’t have any ideas and it’s really frustrating to think about his future. So Sehun decides to take a little break. A break that involves soju, which is ok because Chanyeol  _ is _ home, he’s not alone. Plus Sehun hasn’t had any alcohol in 3 years, it’s about time. After roughly his third shot, he really starts feeling it, which is abnormal for him but maybe something about having a new body lowered his tolerance. 

Sehun thinks it would be a great idea to facetime his boyfriend since he knows he’s home already. Junmyeon answers the call but looks a little confused. 

“Myeonnie” Sehun says happily.

“You mean hyung” Junmyeon corrects “Sehun are you drunk?”

“Uhh maybe? Why, are you drunk?” Sehun asks. 

“You’re not alone are you?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Nope, Yeollie is here. He’s working on compost-conpos- what? Conposting no, composing” Sehun smiles “Yeah that. He makes noise and then money poof?”

“How drunk are you?” Junmyeon laughs. 

“Donno” Sehun shrugs “Do you like Pokemon?” 

“Uh yeah kinda, played it as a kid” Junmyeon answers. 

“Oh cool, I played Pokemon Go even though it wasn’t allowed in Korea” Sehun says casually before his face switching to a face of pure terror “Oh! You’re a cop! Am I going to jail? Oh no! But I just got alive again!”

“I’m not going to arrest you Sehun” Junmyeon laughs. 

“You’re the best” Sehun smiles “You look like a bunny.”

“A bunny?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Cute bunny” Sehun winks. 

“Oh my god” Junmyeon laughs “Are there bunnies that aren’t cute?”

“Hmmm” Sehun says, making a dramatic thinking face “...no?”

“Then I’m an average bunny” Junmyeon reasons. 

“No! You’re not average, you're perfect!” Sehun says angrily “You know if you were here, I’d grab your face and-”

“No!” Chanyeol says before covering Sehun’s mouth “Keep your drunk confessions away from your brand new boyfriend.”

Sehun rips Chanyeol’s hand off after a ridiculously childish struggle. 

“It’s nothing I haven’t already done!” Sehun pouts. 

“Hyung if you don’t mind, I think I’ll hang up and take care of Sehun now” Chanyeol says looking at the screen. 

“Sounds good” Junmyeon smiles “bye!”

“Bye hyung” Chanyeol and Sehun say at the same time before Chanyeol hits the end call button. 

“Why are you drunk?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Bored” Sehun pouts “I don’t know what job I want and can’t find a good place.”

“Dragging your feet won’t make it easier or less boring. It’ll just take more time and effort.” Chanyeol answers. 

“Don’t wanna do it” Sehun grumbles. 

“Do you want me to help?” Chanyeol asks. 

“With what?” Sehun asks. 

“Let’s start with the job” Chanyeol answers “Do you maybe want to be a detective? You seem interested in Junmyeon’s work.”

“No” Sehun shakes his head “I just want to know about my case. The rest is...”

“Is what?” Chanyeol asks. 

“What?” Sehun asks. 

“The rest is what?” Chanyeol rephrases. 

“Your ears look like butterflies” Sehun laughs before reaching out to poke them. 

“Ok never mind we’ll talk later” Chanyeol laughs. 

~=+•+=~

Sehun has not had a hangover in years so he’s forgotten just how awful it is. Chanyeol finds it hilarious though. Partially because he wasn’t so thrilled Sehun drank in the first place but Sehun was careful... mostly... he didn’t die at least. So that’s a win. Right when Sehun was trying to adjust his eyes to the light, a knock on the door brings his headache back into full swing. 

“Sehun! Door!” Chanyeol yells only making it worse. 

“Answer it!” Sehun yells before sighing at the pain. 

“He says he’s here for you!” Chanyeol yells back. 

“I don’t know anyone you don’t know” Sehun grumbles before pulling his tired body to the front door. 

When he walks into the view of the front door he notices who it is, Jongin. Sehun immediately perks up and walks faster to the door. 

“This is Kyungsoo hyung’s husband” Sehun explains to Chanyeol. 

“Yeah, I know” Chanyeol laughs. 

“Why didn’t you say so?” Sehun angrily whispers to Chanyeol. 

“For that face” Chanyeol chuckles “Alright bye, if you need me I’ll be in my room.”

“Do you want to come in?” Sehun asks Jongin.

“I don’t think I will need to” Jongin shakes his head with a polite smile “I would like to go see the guy you were talking about.”

“Like now?” Sehun asks. 

“Preferably yes” Jongin nods “We can talk more on the way if you want.”

“Ok” Sehun nods “I’m a bit hungover but-ow!”

“Oh good, I was worried Kyungsoo didn’t hear me” Jongin laughs “he needs to come too right?”

“Yeah” Sehun nods “Chanyeol I’m leaving!”

“Ok bye!” Chanyeol yells back. 

Sehun desperately tries to revive himself while he follows Jongin to his car, he took an aspirin so hopefully, it’ll kick in soon. Sehun decides to sit in the passenger seat, Kyungsoo can call shotgun on the way back, when he’ll actually be able to talk. Until then it’s only fair Sehun gets the spot. After Sehun helps Jongin put the directions into the GPS, they’re off. 

“What changed your mind?” Sehun asks. 

“Kyungsoo hyung took your advice I think. He kept holding my hands and kissing me and stuff. It feels weird. It’s like he’s there but not? As if the air were holding me” Jongin tries to describe “It got kind of hard to deny, I’m not sure I fully believe but if there’s even a 1% I get my husband back, I’m taking it.”

“Hyung owes me” Sehun smiles “You know while he’s still a ghost and has less of an ability to pinch me I feel like I should tell you a bunch of secrets.”

“As long as you’re the one getting pinched” Jongin laughs “He’ll get back at you though, if he stops being a ghost.”

“Oh shit you’re right” Sehun pauses “Never mind then, no secrets for you. How should we spend the car ride then?”

“Music?” Jongin asks. 

“Sounds good to me” Sehun nods “Do you have any sad ballads?”

“No? I have a lot of R&B” Jongin answers. 

“Kyungsoo’s favourite” Sehun smiles. 

“Yeah he dragged me into it, now I love it too” Jongin says before hitting play. 

They don’t talk much after that but Sehun enjoys the music, it might rival his newfound appreciation for sad ballads although those hold more meaning to him. Soon enough Sehun finds himself looking at the faded old building again and smiling at the sight, it looks a lot more inviting and quaint to him now. 

“ _ This _ is the place?” Jongin asks. 

“Yup, the inside is really nice though. Guess Yixing hyung doesn’t really care about the outside much, he strikes me as one of those ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ types.” Sehun says before opening the car door. 

“If you say so” Jongin says, stepping out of the car himself. 

The boys enter the building and find Yixing watering one of the potted plants. 

“Sehun!” Yixing smiles “You brought your ghost friend I see.”

“Yes, this is Kyungsoo hyung” Sehun says before trying to figure out where to point but ultimately giving up “And this is his husband, Jongin.”

“That’ll work perfectly” Yixing smiles “I’ll grab the supplies.”

“Before you do, I have a gift for you” Sehun says before handing over the Amazon gift card he got for Yixing. 

“You didn’t have to” Yixing smiles taking it “I already got the fruit basket from Chanyeol.”

“Your roommate gave him a gift?” Jongin asks Sehun.

“Chanyeol was quite happy to have his best friend back” Yixing laughs “He wrote me a very long thank you letter.”

“Sehun was gone?” Jongin asks. 

“Yes, when he dead-” Yixing says pausing to look over at Sehun “You didn’t tell him you were a ghost?”

“I didn’t want him to think I was insane” Sehun sighs. 

“You failed anyway” Jongin chuckles “You were a ghost?”

“That’s how I met Kyungsoo hyung” Sehun answers “We hung out in your house a lot actua-ow! Hyung stop that! I’m going to pinch you back when you’re human!” 

“Good luck with that” Jongin laughs. 

“I’m sneaky” Sehun counters. 

“Alright, everyone come sit on the ground” Yixing says as he lays everything on the floor “Except you Sehun, go sit in a corner, I can’t have your energy here.”

“What!” Sehun yells. 

“Do you want him to turn into a ghost or a human? I only want Jongin’s memories in the ceremony” Yixing argues “Corner, go.”

“Fine” Sehun sighs before walking into a far corner of the room. 

He can still see and hear just fine but he would  _ like _ to be involved in the ceremony to bring his friend back.

“Kyungsoo can you pick up the daffodil?” Yixing asks before the daffodil starts hovering in mid-air “Wow you’re a lot better than Sehun at this.”

“Hey! He has a lot of practice! He had to save Jongin hyung constantly!” Sehun protests. 

“Hush you, you’re not part of this” Yixing dimisses “Now Jongin, please think about Kyungsoo. Might help to close your eyes. Just picture him in every way you can.”

“Got it” Jongin nods. 

Sehun was so focused on his flower that he didn’t get to watch the ceremony the first time. Now he has a very good view of everything Yixing is doing. Doesn’t mean he understands any of it though. Yixing lays out two round stoneware cups in front of him, he grinds up some sort of leaves, probably the leaves from that flower Sehun and Junmyeon were looking for, into one of them and some honey into the other one. Looks like he’s making weird tea more than anything else but Sehun knows they won’t be drinking it. Yixing pours water into one of the cups without telling Kyungsoo which Sehun finds weird because he told Sehun when he was going to pour it. Then Yixing ads what looks like a fishbone into the cup with water. 

“Ok, Kyungsoo, make sure to hold onto that flower. If you need to put it down that’s ok but just keep touching it. Jongin, really focus your thoughts, hear his laugh, see his face, think of what his hair feels like and what he smells like.” Yixing explains. 

“Like his cologne-” Jongin starts before Yixing cuts him off. 

“I don’t need to hear it, I just need you to think about it” Yixing answers “I’m going to start pouring the water and the flower should start to come back to life.”

Sehun watches the flower carefully as Yixing starts pouring water from the bone cup to the honey cup. The leaves start to uncurl and the flower becomes a brighter yellow, more importantly, Kyungsoo starts to fade into existence. Sehun has to hold himself back from yelling because he doesn’t want to do anything to ruin this. 

“Welcome back Kyungsoo” Yixing says to Kyungsoo who drops the flower and looks over expectantly at his husband. 

“Jong-” Kyungsoo starts but he’s quickly cut off when Jongin tackles him to the ground. 

“Best to leave them alone I think” Yixing says standing up “Come on Sehun, we can go to the back.”

“But Kyungsoo” Sehun frowns as he watches Jongin pepper his friend with kisses all over his face. 

“Your reunion can be after theirs” Yixing smiles before walking to the nearby door “They’ve waited longer afterall.”

“I guess” Sehun pouts before following Yixing through the door. 

The room seems to be a storage room mainly filled with random boxes and some cleaning supplies, it’s not exactly a large room that people would hang out in, it’s a bit cramped. 

“Do you run this shop by yourself?” Sehun asks to avoid an awkward silence. 

“Yup, my family runs a similar business in China, I chose to run my own little store in Korea. I’ve really enjoyed my time here.” Yixing smiles. 

“This place looks so old though” Sehun mentions. 

“I haven’t gotten around to renovating it” Yixing shrugs “I bought it from an old man who ran the shop pretty much exactly the same way I do, I’m not sure he brought any ghosts back though... at least not for free.”

“Do you really get enough business?” Sehun asks. 

“I’m the only employee so expenses aren’t high. I mostly sell ingredients to people for medicine or cooking but I enjoy talking to like-minded individuals when they show up” Yixing smiles “I just like helping people honestly and if this shop doesn’t work out, I can always go back home.”

“You’ve certainly helped a lot of people in the past few weeks” Sehun nods. 

“Yes, I’m quite happy to see that” Yixing smiles wider. 

“Do you want to step out of here so you can see how happy the married couple is?” Sehun asks. 

“I’m sure they still need some privacy” Yixing shakes his head. 

“Do you think they’re having sex?” Sehun asks, practically scandalized.

“They haven’t been together in a long time, it would be natural for them to-” Yixing starts. 

“You’d just let them? In the middle of your store? What if someone walked in!” Sehun answers. 

Yixing just shrugs and Sehun gasps before reaching for the door. He turns the knob and closes his eyes before walking out. 

“If you’re naked, put clothes on I want to talk to Kyungsoo hyung” Sehun says loudly. 

“You can open your eyes, Sehun” Kyungsoo laughs. 

When Sehun opens his eyes he sees Jongin clinging to Kyungsoo with tears streaming down his face, no doubt tears of joy. 

“So everything’s good?” Sehun asks meekly, suddenly not knowing what to say. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be allowed to let go of my husband for a week but that’s fine with me” Kyungsoo laughs and Jongin just pouts. 

“Can I hug you? I know it’s only been a few weeks but I miss you too and I was starting to think I’d never see you again” Sehun says truthfully. 

“Can I?” Kyungsoo asks, looking down at Jongin. 

Jongin nods slowly before letting go of Kyungsoo and sitting up properly so Kyungsoo is free to get up. Kyungsoo walks straight for Sehun before wrapping him up in a tight hug. Sehun hugs back and his heart swells knowing his friend is right here beside him. 

“That’s a lot better as a human huh?” Kyungsoo mumbles. 

“Sorry I couldn’t get you back sooner” Sehun answers. 

“It’s fine Sehun, I watched you, I knew you had a lot on your plate” Kyungsoo smiles before pulling out of the hug.

“You watched me?” Sehun asks “That’s kinda creepy hyung”

“Idiot” Kyungsoo laughs before flicking him on the forehead. 

“Come back” Jongin frowns before getting up and walking towards his husband. 

“You are going to need to calm down a bit Jongin, we have lives to live.” Kyungsoo chuckles as Jongin hugs him from behind. 

“Yes” Jongin smiles “ _ We _ have  _ lives _ .”

“Y’all are getting real gross” Sehun snickers. 

“Watch it Sehun, I’ve seen the way you are around Junmyeon. Dead and alive.” Kyungsoo says sternly “You’re no better.”

“Whatever, let’s just go back before I tell Jongin all the creepy stalking you did while you were a ghost” Sehun deadpans. 

“He’s my husband, he can look at me all he wants” Jongin smiles. 

“God you guys really are saccharine sweet, it’s marriage supposed to kill the honeymoon vibe?” Sehun asks.

“Not if you’re doing it right” Kyungsoo laughs “but yes, we can go back. I know you probably want to go see Junmyeon again.”

“Actually I have a whole day of job/apartment hunting ahead of me. Real boring. Junmyeon is busy at work and so is Chanyeol.” Sehun sighs. 

“You can hang out with us then, right honey?” Kyungsoo asks Jongin and Sehun swears, Kyungsoo could ask Jongin if he wanted to jump into a freezing lake and he’d say yes with the biggest smile. 

“Yeah!” Jongin nods “I need to do something to thank Sehun for bringing you back, I’ll find a gift for Yixing too.”

“I really like bubble tea” Sehun says casually. 

“Let’s pick some up on the way home” Kyungsoo laughs.

After they pick up bubble tea, they go to Jongin and Kyungsoo’s home to play some board games. Sehun ends up feeling a bit like a third wheel but he also doesn’t want to leave, he’s missed Kyungsoo too much. Jongin doesn’t just spend the whole time staring at Kyungsoo though and Sehun was definitely right about them getting along well. At least now that everything’s settled. After they finish the board game, Jongin brings out cards against humanity because they could use the laugh. Kyungsoo is unreasonably good at the game. Right when Sehun was about to play a killer card, he gets a text. 

“Chanyeol wants me to go back home” Sehun sighs “I stood him up for dinner last night... in a way so I kind of owe him.”

“That’s fine, it is getting pretty late huh?” Kyungsoo says looking at a nearby clock “I can drive you home.”

“No driving” Jongin says very seriously. 

“Right, no driving” Kyungsoo nods “Baby do you want to drive him instead?”

“Ok” Jongin smiles. 

“I want to try Kyungsoo’s cooking though” Sehun pouts before thinking about his best friend “Maybe another time?”

“Fine” Sehun sighs “Monday?”

“I’m,- or I guess we now, are going to a funeral” Jongin answers. 

“Oh, sorry” Sehun frowns. 

“It’s ok, he was a nice guy but I saw it coming... anyway” Jongin says trying to change the tone “Tuesdays good with me.”

“Tuesday dinner and we finish this game?” Sehun offers. 

“Sounds good to me, I’ll get to win properly instead of by default” Kyungsoo smirks. 

“Alright bye hyung” Sehun says, rolling his eyes and getting off the sofa to head home. 


	10. Coffee

Sehun’s alarm goes off and he frowns, he would sleep in but a certain friend has really been on him about bad habits. Who knew Kyungsoo was so obsessed with not dying young? As if sleeping in will make any difference anyway. Sehun still picks up his phone and texts Kyungsoo to tell him he’s up. Everyone in his life currently is treating him like a newborn child they don’t want to drop and kill. Sehun understands why... kind of but he’s an adult and he can run his own life, it’s not like he’s at fault for some psycho killer deciding he was a fun person to fillet. He won’t die if they let him run his own life. 

Sehun knows for a fact Kyungsoo isn’t getting the same treatment. Jongin just treats him like a God and no one else in his life is telling him what to do, other than the no driving thing but that just makes sense, but just because Sehun is younger doesn’t mean he needs his handheld. 

Sehun takes a shower and prepares for the day. He’s finally picked out an apartment, it has two bedrooms, a gorgeous bathroom, utilities included and the building has a pool and gym free for anyone who lives there. Sehun also managed to call the building owner and haggled the price down a bit so it’ll be easier for Sehun and Chanyeol to pay for it. They could afford it at its original price but it’s always nice to save a bit of money. They’ll be moving in within the month and Sehun is pretty excited. They even allow pets so Sehun and Chanyeol could adopt some little puppies... hypoallergenic of course.

Sehun walks into the kitchen and makes himself a bowl of cereal, before he has a chance to bring it in front of the TV, there’s a knock on the door. He answers it since Chanyeol probably still hasn’t gotten out of his bed. 

“Hyung?” Sehun answers before opening the door “Are we going on a date?”

“Not yet” Junmyeon smiles “I’m here on official business, could you grab Chanyeol? I need to talk to both of you.”

“Ok” Sehun nods before turning around to see that a sleepy Chanyeol is already walking towards them. 

“Oh hello” Chanyeol says before running his hands through his crazy bedhead “Didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I have a case update and some questions for you two” Junmyeon says before holding up his file. 

“Ok but I can’t promise I’m awake yet” Chanyeol yawns before walking over to the couch and plopping down on it. 

Junmyeon walks over and sits down as well so Sehun joins them. 

“So Minseok had a genius idea, well actually it was Dr. Kim but in any case. We had our tech department track the IP address of the blog posts that discussed-” Junmyeon pauses looking at Chanyeol “things to do with Sehun’s attempted murder.”

“So you have a real suspect?” Sehun asks. 

“I do, I want to know if either of you recognize him. He wasn’t a student at your university so it’s a bit of a stretch but you might know him somehow” Junmyeon says before taking some pictures out of the file “Does he look familiar?”

“Yeah...” Chanyeol nods “I don’t know from where but... there’s something... oh! He was a barista! He worked at a coffee shop we went to a lot. Eun-something? Right? He was constantly hitting on Sehun, he was shameless. He really ki- attempted to kill Sehun?”

“I don’t know for sure yet but it seems like it, I have a warrant to search his place for evidence” Junmyeon explains “Sehun?”

“H-he-” Sehun stutters. 

“Sehun?” Junmyeon asks with much more concern.

“He was smiling. I asked for help and he just kept smiling” Sehun says as his heart rate starts to skyrocket “Oh God I never wanted to remember this!”

Suddenly he feels someone hug him tightly, Chanyeol. Sehun’s mind keeps flashing with moments from the night, Sehun was drunk so it’s still hard to really figure it all out but his brain is racing to make sense of everything. There’s nothing Sehun can do to stop his brain from piecing together a very clear image of the night. Some of the things he’s remembering are distorted but anything from before he started drinking is ridiculously clear, as if it happened yesterday, not 3 years ago. 

“Sehun, can you focus on my voice?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I-I’m ok” Sehun says, taking a deep breath. 

“You don’t sound ok” Chanyeol says, not sounding so good himself. 

“After class, I went to the coffee shop” Sehun says slowly “I don’t know why- hungry? He was there.”

“Sehun you don’t have to do this, we’ll get the proof we need, we can’t even use your testimony in court anyway” Junmyeon says before placing a hand comfortingly on his knee. 

“He flirted with me again, it was stupid. Just an overused pick-up line but I decided to give him a chance.” Sehun explains ignoring Junmyeon’s statement “He told me his shift was over and invited me to his place but I figured since Chanyeol was out of town I should make the most of it. I invited him over-” 

“Sehun stop” Chanyeol pleads. 

“I need to- I can’t explain why but I just need to talk about it” Sehun says, really frustrated with his own emotions. Why can’t he ignore it? Why can’t he just push the emerging memories aside? “I trusted him-”

“Chanyeol, maybe it’s best you leave the room, I can handle this” Junmyeon answers. 

“I don’t want to leave him alone again” Chanyeol shakes his head, tightening his grip on Sehun. 

“He spilled his drink so I got him a towel” Sehun continues “He laughed about being clumsy and I told him Chanyeol was worse. I got back, I took a sip of my drink, and cleaned him up. I guessed I leaned in close to clean him so he started kissing me.”

“I hate him” Chanyeol whispers as Sehun feels Chanyeol’s tear wet his shirt. 

“I let him but I don’t know why, I did plan on sleeping with him anyway but it felt weird” Sehun answers “He got too handsy so I pulled away and I told him I felt weird and he seemed concerned so he backed off and I was happy, he wasn’t going to push me into anything. He got a glass of water and gave it to me, told me I shouldn’t have drunk so much and I agreed. I took the water and I drank it but it only made me feel worse. He took it away from me before I was done and told me that was enough. I didn’t know why- the dose I guess right? Because he didn’t want me to overdose because he wanted to kill me himself.”

“I told you not to say that word” Chanyeol cries. 

“I told him I felt worse and he just smiled. I asked him to call a doctor or something but he just kept smiling. I thought he might- I didn’t think I was going to die though! I couldn’t control my body anymore and I fell down on the couch. I don’t remember anything else.” Sehun says with a few tears rolling down his face.

“He’s going to jail for the rest of his life” Junmyeon says firmly before getting off the couch. 

“Sehun if I were in town-” Chanyeol sobs. 

“I would have gone to his place and-” Sehun stops “It’s not your fault Chanyeol, it’s not your fault at all.”

“Minseok, I need you to join me, I’m going to the suspect’s house. He might be dangerous.” Junmyeon says into his phone “Yes now, you have the address.”

“I’m coming” Sehun says, wiping his tears. 

“No, you’re staying here with Chanyeol” Junmyeon says firmly with his hand covering his phone so Minseok won’t hear “No way you’re coming.”

“Hyung!” Sehun pleads “Please! I need to, you can’t make me stay here when I know he’s out there. I have to go.”

“Sehun you’re a civilian” Junmyeon reasons before uncovering his phone “Yes, I’m still here-”

“He murdered me” Sehun says, his voice breaking “I need to come with you, I’ll do whatever you want while you’re there but you have to let me come.”

“You- I- ugh” Junmyeon sighs “Ok Minseok, we’re going to be bringing Sehun- yes I know but he- don’t make me explain it. He needs this... yeah thanks, ok see you there.”

“You’ll keep him safe?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Safer than he’ll like” Junmyeon says before turning his attention to Sehun “alright, come on.” 

Sehun quickly gets up off the couch which makes Chanyeol fall over since he’s no longer leaning on Sehun. Sehun runs to the door faster than Junmyeon but the detective catches up. 

“This isn’t a race” Junmyeon argues before following Sehun out the door. 

“You have no idea how much time I spent thinking about this.” Sehun says seriously. 

“No, I guess I can’t imagine it” Junmyeon nods “but you staying alive is the first priority, understand?”

“Always is” Sehun sighs. 

“This isn’t like normal, if your killer sees you alive, you have no idea what he might do. You won’t see him until I know it’s safe” Junmyeon argues “this is a serious risk. I understand why you want to come but I’m not letting you lose your life over it.” 

“Fine” Sehun grumbles, he doesn’t want to be dead again anyway so he’ll listen. Junmyeon’s right, this is important but not worth losing his life over... again. 

The couple make their way to where Junmyeon’s car is parked. They get in it and Junmyeon starts up the GPS.

“I feel stupid for not catching the guy sooner” Junmyeon says as he starts driving “I mean we didn’t even know you knew this guy so he was never on the radar but still... there should have been some evidence of him at your place.” 

“If anything that sounds like a mistake the CSI made or maybe even the medical examiner” Sehun says trying to comfort his boyfriend. 

“I don’t think Baekhyun could have known” Junmyeon reasons. 

“If he kissed me, wouldn’t there be DNA?” Sehun asks. 

“I don’t think it works like that” Junmyeon reasons “plus even if it does, he didn’t have any reason to look... I think.”

“Whatever, point is, it’s not your fault and you did find the killer. Even after 3 years as a cold case” Sehun answers “that’s pretty impressive.”

“I told you I’d do it” Junmyeon smiles. 

“And you did, luckily I’m still here” Sehun flirts. 

“What?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Oh, as a ghost if my murder was solved, I’d pass on since I didn’t have a reason for staying a ghost anymore” Sehun answers. 

“So every time I got closer to solving the case-“ Junmyeon starts. 

“I was happy” Sehun interrupts “moving on is the point of being a ghost. I’m a lot happier being alive though. Closure and I keep living.” 

“I’m happier like this too” Junmyeon smiles “I’m really glad it was your case I picked up.”

“If you weren’t driving I’d kiss you” Sehun says with a small laugh. 

“How about after I arrest the guy, we go out?” Junmyeon offers. 

“Don’t you have work?” Sehun asks. 

“After arresting a murder from a cold case, I think the captain will let me take the day off as a reward” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Ok” Sehun smiles. 

Soon enough they end up in front of a moderately sized apartment complex. It’s so weird for Sehun to think that his killer lives here, just in a normal apartment complex, no different than any other person. He probably still works as a barista, serving people their coffees as if he didn’t steal Sehun’s life from him. As if he didn’t ruin the lives of everyone who loves Sehun. As if he’s a regular person, in every way he is, except he brutally murdered someone. 

Sehun hasn’t thought about what his murder would be like often but he imagined someone nasty. Someone who makes everyone a little scared when they see them. Someone who clearly doesn’t have much regard for the law or other people’s lives. Maybe the killer lived in some house far from town so no one would disturb them while they planned heinous crimes. But this guy... he’s just a guy. 

“You don’t do anything unless I say so, got it?” Junmyeon asks while taking his seatbelt. 

“Ok” Sehun nods, taking his own off. 

“You can get out of the car and follow me in” Junmyeon says before getting out of the car. 

Minseok is waiting for them, leaning up against the wall beside the entrance to the apartment. When he sees them, he starts walking towards them with a small smile. 

“Good to see you alive” Minseok smiles “I don’t think we’ve ever properly met.”

“I probably know you better than you know me” Sehun responds. 

“Too bad I wasn’t the one to fall for you when you were dead” Minseok flirts “We would have made a cute couple.”

“Hey” Junmyeon frowns. 

“Just saying” Minseok laughs “He’s way hotter in person.”

“Thanks” Sehun smiles at the compliment before Junmyeon gives him a look “I’m with you, not him. No need to be jealous.”

“Let’s just focus on this, we need to keep a level head in case this psycho tries to pull something” Junmyeon says seriously. 

“I’m assuming I’ll be babysitting Sehun while you go in to talk to him?” Minseok asks. 

“Sounds good” Junmyeon nods before walking towards the entrance to the apartment. 

“I’m not a baby” Sehun mumbles under his breath before following his boyfriend. 

They walk into the very plain beige lobby, there’s almost nothing but the elevator, a couple of chairs, and a desk. At the desk is an overly eager concierge, smiling at all three of the men. Her name tag promptly on display in an inviting, easy-to-read font, Yerim. 

“What can I do for you gentlemen?” She asks. 

“I’m detective Kim Minseok, this is my partner, detective Kim Junmyeon” Minseok says putting a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder “And this is our civilian consultant. I was wondering if you point us to Choi Eunhyeok. We need to talk to him.” 

“Unfortunately I can’t do that” Yerim frowns. 

“We have a warrant” Junmyeon clarifies before taking out the page to show the concierge. 

“That’s not what I meant” Yerim answers before walking out from behind the desk “I can let you into his apartment but you can’t talk to him. He... passed away, a couple of weeks ago actually. No one’s even moved his stuff out yet, we’re giving his family some time.”

“A couple of weeks ago?” Sehun repeats. 

“Cancer” Yerim sighs before calling the elevator “He’s been fighting it for over 4 years, it’s really too bad. He was a nice guy.”

Sehun has to hold him back from reacting to that comment. He thought he was pretty nice too... or at least decent but the guy is the furthest from it. 

“If he had cancer, that’s probably why he thought he needed to steal your life” Junmyeon whispers to Sehun “Does knowing why make you feel any better?”

“A bit” Sehun answers “I’m happier knowing he’s dead though, and if his ghost is here I hope he’s suffering knowing I’m the one alive now. Everything’s back to the way it should be. I’m alive and he’s dead.”

“Balance” Junmyeon says quietly. 

“Hey lovebirds, let’s go” Minseok says as the elevator doors open. 

“Have you known Eunhyeok long?” Junmyeon asks Yerim. 

“I’ve been working here for about a year” Yerim answers as the elevator doors close “He was friendly, always said good morning when he left for work.”

Sehun starts feeling like the elevator is a bit too stuffy, he doesn’t like hearing about the guy in such a casual tone. He shouldn’t have been able to go on with his life like that. Some Sehun’s memories of how ‘nice’ the guy was, keep surfacing and it takes him a lot of force not to throw up at the thoughts. His smile is burned into Sehun’s mind, his terrible smile. 

“Is that unusual?” Minseok asks. 

“No, but he seemed genuine, probably a morning person.” Yerim smiles “ If you had a warrant does that mean he was in trouble.”

“He might be” Junmyeon answers “We can’t say much else.”

“I understand” Yerim nods. 

The elevator lets them out and Sehun instantly feels better. Yerim walks out and leads the detectives and Sehun down the hall before unlocking one of the doors with one of the many keys on her key ring. 

“There” Yerim says before stepping away from the door “Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you” Junmyeon says before turning to Sehun “You can come in too.”

Sehun nods before following them into the apartment. It’s oddly tidy, especially since Yerim said no one had moved his stuff. Junmyeon hands Sehun a pair of gloves before putting some on himself. Minseok closes the door behind them and Sehun instantly feels better knowing he can speak his mind. 

“Eunhyeok if you’re here. I’m glad you’re fucking dead. Burn in hell” Sehun grumbles. 

“Sehun you don’t have to be here” Junmyeon says softly. 

“I want to be” Sehun shakes his head “Let’s find evidence. He probably kept my eyes right? That’s why they weren’t found.”

“Well he could have-” Junmyeon pauses before pressing his lips together “yeah he probably kept them.”

“Unless he ate them” Minseok says looking around the living room.

“That’s what I was trying not to say, thanks Minseok” Junmyeon sighs. 

“Oh-” Minseok says whipping his head to Sehun “Sorry- I forgot.”

“Oh god that’s so sick” Sehun says trying not to gag “Now I hope we do find them just to prove he didn’t.”

“Might have used them for a spell or something though” Minseok says before jumping on the floor “So don’t assume the worst ok?”

“What are you doing?” Sehun asks. 

“Loose floorboards are a great place to hide things” Minseok answers. 

“I’ll look in the bedroom for a safe” Junmyeon says before heading to that room “Hope we don’t find one though.”

“Why not?” Sehun asks. 

“The warrant doesn’t let me open anything locked” Junmyeon answers. 

“Oh” 

Junmyeon opens the closet and looks around for a safe while Sehun randomly walks around the room not entirely sure what he should look for. Sehun ends up just walking over to the window to look out at the city. He feels a little better when he looks outside, it’s sort of like getting fresh air... just without the air. 

“Sehun” Junmyeon says, a lot closer to Sehun than he was expecting. 

“Yeah?” Sehun answers. 

“Can you step off that bit of carpet?” Junmyeon asks.

“Sure” Sehun says, taking a step back and there’s a creaking sound when he does. 

“I don’t think this room came with carpet” Junmyeon says before heading to one corner of the room. He pulls up the corner of the carpet as if it was just placed there “Smart... for a homicidal maniac.”

“So he put carpet in here?” Sehun asks as Junmyeon pulls more of it up. 

“We wouldn’t look for floorboard hiding places with carpet” Junmyeon explains “but there’s definitely something here. The floorboard has been cut here.”

Junmyeon says pulling up one of the floorboards, unlike the long floorboards in the main living space, the wooden piece Junmyeon pulls up is squarish and maybe only a foot long. 

“Minseok! I have something” Junmyeon yells, putting the wooden piece down “You might want to leave Sehun.”

“No, I want to be here” Sehun says stubbornly. 

“If you’re sure” Junmyeon says softly before taking out a knife that looks rusted, almost the entire blade is covered in dark red. 

“Blood?” Minseok asks as he walks into view. 

“Yeah, dried” Junmyeon says inspecting the knife “Almost certainly the murder weapon. Can you pass me an evidence bag?”

“Is there any way of checking if that’s my blood?” Sehun asks before looking up at Junmyeon’s eyes. 

“Might be able to check DNA” Minseok answers while passing Junmyeon a bag. 

“I’ll need a few more bags” Junmyeon says before reaching into the hole in the ground and pulling out a bunch of pages “Looks like research... there’s a lot about Sehun here.”

“Gross” Sehun says as a shiver runs up his spine. 

“Good news... sort of” Junmyeon says before looking at Sehun “He didn’t eat your eyes.”

“I do not want to see my dead eyes” Sehun says before covering eyes. 

“Ok, Minseok please take these out of the room” Junmyeon says, Sehun assumes while passing whatever container they’re in to Minseok “We definitely have enough evidence to convict him but...”

“But?” Sehun asks. 

“If I report this, the case won’t be cold anymore, it’ll be solved” Junmyeon explains. 

“Yeah which is a good thing” Sehun tilts his head. 

“Not exactly, you’re story will be all over the news” Junmeyon sighs as Minseok walks back into the room “People will recognize you.”

“But I’m legally my own twin, right? Why is it a problem?” Sehun offers. 

“It would be messy, after everything you’ve been through, you deserve to be free of this whole thing” Junmyeon says sincerely “If this goes public, people might look into this too much and figure out something’s not quite right. You’re better off laying low.”

“So we get rid of the evidence and cover it up? My case stays unsolved?” Sehun asks. 

“You’re alive again and your murder won’t go to jail anyway” Junmyeon reasons “We’ll know, isn’t that good enough? I know you probably want proper justice but there’s going to be a cost.”

“You’re right” Sehun nods “I’d rather just put this behind me.”

“You can have the life you were always owed” Junmyeon smiles before looking over at Minseok “Minseok? Are you onboard?”

“I told myself I’d never destroy evidence but... yeah ok” Minseok nods “As much as he deserves his name dragged through the mud, Sehun getting a real life is a lot more important.” 

“How exactly are you going to destroy the evidence?” Sehun asks. 

“Dead asshole has a garbage disposal” Minseok offers “and some bleach for the knife.”

“Garbage disposal? Oh for the- that’s nasty” Sehun says while gagging a bit. 

“You’re really not cut out for being a cop” Junmyeon chuckles. 

“Who said I wanted to be a cop?” Sehun asks. 

“You were looking for jobs, thought it might be something you were interested in.” Junmyeon explains as Minseok leaves the room with the knife. 

“No offense Junmyeon but I definitely don’t want to do this for a career” Sehun smiles. 

“Then what would you want to do? If you have a general idea” Junmyeon says casually. 

“I’m looking into becoming a realtor” Sehun explains “Looking for a new apartment just kinda... I don’t know, it clicked? I think I’d be good at finding places for other people. I know I’m not the most social person but I can handle being friendly for work, no problem.”

“Being likable is a big part of being a realtor” Junmyeon smiles “I think you’d be good.”

“Thank y-” Sehun starts before he hears the distinct sound of the garbage disposal “Oh no.”

“Try not to think about it” Junmyeon says while cringing a little himself. 

“Is this done then? We found my killer?” Sehun asks. 

“Probably” Junmyeon nods “I want to look through the papers he wrote, just to make sure he didn’t have an accomplice or anything.”

“You think someone else was involved?” Sehun asks. 

“Could be, you weren’t awake the whole time, so someone could have come in... or it could have just been someone helping him get the ketamine, hiding evidence things like that” Junmyeon explains. 

“I hope not” Sehun shakes his head. 

“I didn’t see a paper shredder anywhere but we could burn it” Minseok says, poking his head back into the bedroom. 

“I’m going to keep them actually, I need to look over them” Junmyeon answers. 

“Oh” Minseok says quickly “Ok sure.”

“Are we going on our date now?” Sehun smiles while walking a little closer to Junmyeon. 

“No” Junmyeon laughs “I’m not solving his murder so I won’t get the day off.”

“Lame” Sehun pouts. 

“Tonight work?” Junmyeon smiles. 

“Yes” Sehun nods. 

“I’m way too single” Minseok sighs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmmmmm accomplice?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long one for the last chapter ;)

After they leave the building, Junmyeon drops Sehun at home before heading back to the precinct. Sehun spends about 5 minutes at home before getting bored, Chanyeol is out because he has a meeting or something so Sehun is all alone. He doesn’t particularly like being alone anymore, even with his killer found. Although the whole potential co-killer thing has him a bit freaked out. 

Sehun decides he's better off just dropping by Kyungsoo and Jongin’s house. One of them is bound to be there. Kyungsoo’s still trying to argue to the government that he’s not dead and they made a mistake somehow but they still haven’t given him his ID back yet, so he doesn’t have a whole lot to do, same as Sehun.

Before leaving, Sehun writes Chanyeol a letter talking about what Junmyeon said as well as the fact that he’s going to his friends’ house. After a short ride on the bus, Sehun finds himself in front of their house. It isn’t until Kyungsoo opens the door wearing a black suit that Sehun remembers they were going to a funeral today. 

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo says “We were just-”

“Hyung! Where’s my black tie?” Jongin yells from somewhere inside the house. 

“You’re not done getting dressed?” Kyungsoo yells back “You can come in, obviously we aren’t going anywhere for a little while anyway.”

“Thanks” Sehun says before stepping into the house and following Kyungsoo to the living room “I have some big news to share.”

“About your case?” Kyungsoo asks before sitting down on his couch. 

“Yeah” Sehun nods while sitting down as well “Junmyeon hyung tracked down a blog post that- well anyway he found a suspect and he showed him to me and Chanyeol and um I remembered him.”

“So he’s a good suspect then?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I mean I remembered that night” Sehun answers before fiddling with his fingers “I brought him to my place and he drugged me.”

“Oh” Kyungsoo says softly “I’m so sorry Sehun, that can’t have been easy to deal with.”

“He’s dead though” Sehun says looking up “Looks like he got what he had coming to him. He tried to take my life but now he’s dead. It feels good knowing Eunhyeok can’t do anything to me anymore.”

“Eunhyeok?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“Yeah Choi Eunhyeok, he’s the one who-” Sehun starts. 

“Did he work as a barista?” Kyungsoo interrupts. 

“Yeah” Sehun says, a little confused as to how Kyungsoo knows. 

“Jongin! Forget the tie, we aren’t going to the funeral!” Kyungsoo yells. 

“What?” Jongin yells before walking down the stairs, tieless “Why not?”

“Eunhyeok murdered Sehun” Kyungsoo says to his husband. 

“Oh my god” Jongin gasps. 

“Technically all I know is that he drugged me and kept the bloody knife and my- some other things like a complete psychopath” Sehun answers. 

“Doesn’t that mean he killed you?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“Junmyeon thinks he might have an accomplice” Sehun answers. 

“Really?” Jongin asks. 

“You knew him, do you have any idea who it could have been?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I mean I didn’t know him that well” Jongin answers “and I had no idea he was capable of murdering anyone.”

“You didn’t know him that well but you’re going to the funeral?” Sehun asks. 

“We were close almost two years ago, just through work but I haven’t talked to him since I was fired. I talk to some of my other work friends though, I’m mainly going for them. Well, I’m not going anymore” Jongin answers. 

“Could one of them have helped him?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I don’t think- you’re asking me to accuse my friends of murder. I don’t think any of them could do something like that” Jongin argues. 

“You didn’t think Eunhyeok could either, I’m not saying they did but his friends are a suspect” Kyungsoo answers. 

“By that logic I am too” Jongin says seriously. 

“Well-” Kyungsoo starts. 

“Hyung! You know me! I wouldn’t have killed Sehun, I didn’t even know him!” Jongin freaks out “You watched me every day when you were dead, did I ever seem like I killed someone?”

“I don’t think you killed Sehun” Kyungsoo says, trying to calm Jongin down by putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“When did you meet Eunhyeok?” Sehun asks. 

“Sehun-” Kyungsoo says looking offended. 

“I’m not accusing him, I’m trying to clear his name” Sehun specifies “You said he didn’t work at the cafe for very long and he was fired 2 years ago so he probably didn’t even know Eunhyeok at the time of my death.”

“Yeah I started working there 4 months before I was fired so-” Jongin starts. 

“Not three years ago” Sehun concludes. 

“No” Jongin shakes his head. 

“Did anyone you know work there 3 years ago?” Sehun asks. 

“Uhhh I don’t really know honestly” Jongin answers. 

“None of us are detectives anyway, I’ll let Junmyeon hyung figure this out. He’s working on it unofficially because he thinks it won’t be good for me if this becomes public news” Sehun explains “Eunhyeok’s dead anyway.”

“What about the accomplice?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“I don’t know” Sehun shrugs “I might have followed around the police for a while but I have no idea what’s the best call to make so I’ll just help Junmyeon hyung, he can make the decisions.”

“That’s probably smart” Jongin nods “I still can’t believe Eunhyeok killed you, even if he used drugs to do it. He was such a chill guy I can’t see him hurting anyone.” 

“He didn’t use drugs to kill Sehun he used them to knock him out” Kyungsoo says softly “the murder weapon was a knife remember.”

“What? Are you absolutely sure it was him?” Jongin asks “no offense, it’s just if you knew him-“

“I did know him” Sehun interrupts “how do you think he got to my place? He was really flirty so- I don’t know I gave him a shot. I know he seemed harmless, I saw it myself but you didn’t see his smile when he saw I was losing consciousness.” 

“Oh my god” Jongin says softly. 

“I don’t particularly like thinking about this” Sehun says softly “since you guys are free now, can we just go back to cards against humanity?” 

“Yeah for sure! I kept everything exactly like Friday, that way we can keep our scores” Kyungsoo smiles before getting up to grab the game from the shelf it sits on. 

“So you can stay 5 points ahead of me?” Jongin laughs. 

“It’s only fair” Kyungsoo smiles. 

Kyungsoo ends up winning the game but Sehun wins the next game. He’d almost think it was out of pity but they play anonymously so that can’t be true. After the second game, Jongin begs for a third so he can get a shot at winning but Kyungsoo ends up winning the third one too and Jongin starts pouting. Kyungsoo offers to watch Jongin’s favourite movie as consolation but for some reason his favourite movie is the Conjuring and both Kyungsoo and Sehun don’t really want to watch horror like that. So instead they watch Underdog which makes them all happy so it’s a much better choice. 

After the movie ends, Jongin is suddenly reminded of a puppy he found on an online shelter he wants to show to Kyungsoo so he runs out excitedly to grab his laptop. 

“He seems a lot happier” Sehun smiles “Is this what he was like when you were alive?”

“Yeah” Kyungsoo smiles back “He’s still struggling though, he has nightmares and stuff.”

“Chanyeol too” Sehun frowns “But it’s better than when I was dead.”

“Same with Jongin” Kyungsoo nods. 

“Look!” Jongin says happily while running back in with his computer “She’s a 20-pound poodle, she’s 3 and she loves snuggles, I think she’d love it here. Our backyard is fenced in so we could let her run around back there!”

“3-year-old puppy?” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“There’s no age restriction on being a puppy” Jongin smiles. 

“Didn’t say there was” Kyungsoo chuckles “We’ll think about the puppy but I’m pretty sure I need my ID back before we can adopt a puppy.”

“Could be under my name” Jongin pouts. 

“Nini-” Kyungsoo starts but Sehun’s phone ringing interrupts him. 

“Sorry, I have to take this” Sehun says before answering the phone and stepping out of the room “hyung?”

“Baekhyun, that fucking asshole” Junmyeon spits. 

“What?” Sehun asks. 

“I just looked over Eunhyeok’s notes and he goes on and on about how what he’s doing is supposed to happen. The guy was seriously insane but he also talked about how evidence disappeared, he said it was just more proof that what he was doing was right, that the universe didn’t want to be caught but that's such bullshit, it’s evidence someone would have had to cover up” Junmyeon explains “Eunhyeok put his DNA all over you. He thought you needed to mix blood so-”

“I do not need to hear this” Sehun shakes his head. 

“The point is, his blood was on you Sehun. Baekhyun would have known that but there’s no mention of it in his report. He covered it up” Junmyeon says angrily. 

“Are you going to arrest him?” Sehun asks. 

“I’m going to talk to him first” Junmyeon answers “If I have to... I’ll arrest him but I really don’t want to bring your case to light. You know that.”

“Ok” Sehun answers “I’m coming with you.”

“Sehun-” Junmyeon starts. 

“No, I’m coming with you” Sehun says firmly. 

“Alright, I’ll pick you up on the way” Junmyeon answers. 

“I know my way to the morgue” Sehun replies. 

“He’s not at the morgue, he’s at his house” Junmyeon responds “He’s- he was my friend. As far as he knows I’m dropping by with friendly intentions.”

“Maybe he’s not as bad as you think?” Sehun offers “Maybe he just missed the blood?”

“I know you don’t want details but trust me, he did not miss it” Junmyeon says quietly “Are you still at your place?”

“No I’m at Kyungsoo’s, I’ll text you the address” Sehun answers. 

“Ok, see you soon” Junmyeon says before ending the call. 

Sehun quickly texts Junmyeon before he walks back into the room with Kyungsoo and Jongin to let them know what’s going on. 

“Looks like I won’t be able to stay here for dinner again” Sehun smiles “Junmyeon hyung wants to interrogate a suspect, the medical examiner might-probably covered up the evidence. I’m going with him to talk to the guy.”

“Well good luck” Kyungsoo says with a small smile “we’ll reschedule dinner.”

“Good” Sehun smiles “Junmyeon hyung will be a little while before he picks me up so maybe we can play another round of cards against humanity? Give Jongin a chance to win.”

“I will absolutely win” Jongin smiles. 

Junmyeon shows up before the end of their game but since Jongin was one point ahead of Kyungsoo and Sehun they decide to give him the win, although Sehun tries to argue it shouldn’t count, Kyungsoo shuts him up pretty quickly. Sehun joins Junmyeon in his car and they really don’t talk much on the way to Baekhyun’s place. Clearly, Junmyeon isn’t happy one of his friends was involved in hiding evidence about Sehun’s murder. Sehun can’t blame him, if Kyungsoo or Chanyeol were involved in something like that, Sehun would be really shaken up. When they pull up to Baekhyun’s house, Junmyeon finally speaks up. 

“I might lie more than a few times. It’s part of the questioning ok? Please don’t correct me” Junmyeon says to Sehun “If I ask you a question, then you can answer but try not to say much. I don’t want Baekhyun getting defensive, I’d like to get as much information from him as possible.”

“Got it” Sehun nods. 

“Alright let’s go” Junmyeon says before getting out of the car. 

They walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. Sehun watches as Junmyeon’s face and body language switches from tense and upset to friendly which kinda freaks Sehun out because he changed his whole attitude so quickly. Baekhyun opens the door and Junmyeon smiles widely. 

“Hyung! It’s great to see you, even if it’s last-minute” Baekhyun smiles “Who’s this?”

“This is my boyfriend Seho” Junmyeon answers before grabbing Sehun’s hand. 

“Ah that’s what you wanted to talk about” Baekhyun smiles wider before beckoning Junmyeon and Sehun into the house “well come in!”

“It’s not the only thing I wanted to talk about” Junmyeon starts as they walk towards the living room. 

“You want to talk about dinner plans? Because you know I only have like 2 dishes I know how to cook anyway” Baekhyun laughs. 

“It’s actually about a case” Junmyeon says before sitting down. 

“Do you know how to stop working?” Baekhyun teases.

“No” Sehun laughs. 

“I take time off, you know that” Junmyeon smiles at Sehun “I actually just wanted to give you an update on that cold case I was working.”

“You found a lead?” Baekhyun asks with a smile. 

“I found the killer” Junmyeon says with a proud smile “He’s dead but I still found him.”

“That’s amazing” Baekhyun says, letting out a deep breath. 

“You sound relieved” Junmyeon asks. 

“It was the first case I worked on that didn’t get solved” Baekhyun answers “I’ve thought about it a lot since you reminded me of it but I thought about it every once and a while before that. I know it’s dumb because it’s not my fault but it’s good to know it’s been solved.”

“Did you feel like you could have done better? Like you missed something?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I mean if I did it now, I might be able to get more information but I think I did my best I could have at the time” Baekhyun answers “but people get better at their jobs, that’s just natural. Can’t feel bad because I wasn’t as good three years ago as I am right now.”

“I get that” Junmyeon nods “obviously you did enough because I still managed to catch the killer.”

“Yeah, that’s why I feel better” Baekhyun smiles “uh- should we have been discussing this in front of your boyfriend?”

“Sehun is a key witness and the case is closed anyway” Junmyeon answers. 

“Sehun?” Baekhyun asks. 

“I didn’t say Sehun, I said Seho” Junmyeon corrects. 

“Sehun- wasn’t that the victim? Do Sehun or something right?” Baekhyun asks. 

“Oh Sehun” Sehun corrects. 

“Thanks for correcting him” Junmyeon says to Sehun. 

“Why did you call him Sehun? What’s going on?” Baekhyun says looking at Sehun carefully “Is this-”

“This is Sehun” Junmyeon admits. 

“No, Sehun is dead. You had me confirm his DNA just a week ago” Baekhyun says looking at Sehun “His corpse is in a coffin in a cemetery.”

“Sehun was a ghost, until he wasn’t” Junmyeon explains “and now he’s alive.”

“Should we be telling him this?” Sehun asks Junmyeon. 

“Who’s going to believe him anyway?” Junmyeon responds. 

“That doesn’t make sense” Baekhyun shakes his head. 

“I watched him appear out of thin air, it’s real” Junmyeon insists. 

“But then-” Baekhyun starts. 

“His killer wrote some notes about killing Sehun” Junmyeon starts “He said he cut his hand open and pressed his bleeding palm deeply on Sehun’s chest where his heart should be, leaving a pool of blood there, he specified it was enough blood to shine. He also said he got it in Sehun’s hair.”

“Oh god” Sehun says trying not to gag “I need to take a shower.”

“You have a different body” Junmyeon whispers. 

“Doesn’t matter” Sehun shakes his head in disgust. 

“Baekhyun, did you miss that much blood?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Sehun was bleeding a lot, there was blood everywhere” Baekhyun answers before running a hand through his hair. 

“It got in his hair?” Junmyeon asks. 

“When the killer cut off his face-” Baekhyun starts. 

“Can we please not” Sehun says, closing his eyes, trying not to imagine it. 

“You’re telling me as a medical examiner, you didn’t notice blood where it wouldn’t have otherwise been? How would it get on his chest?” Junmyeon asks. 

“It could have- from the long cut- sort of uh” Baekhyun stutters before frowning “Ok look, I couldn’t get proper DNA from it, it was mixed with Sehun blood and dirt, it was contaminated.”

“It wasn’t in the file at all. You didn’t even mention there was the killer's blood on Sehun.” Junmyeon says firmly. 

“It wasn’t usable” Baekhyun argues. 

“That doesn’t matter, it should have been in the file” Junmyeon says firmly “Baekhyun, why didn’t you include it?”

“Are you accusing me of being an  accessory to murder?” Baekhyun says, sounding somewhat angry which somehow Sehun is surprised Baekhyun can even get mad. He’s usually so personable. 

“I don’t know” Junmyeon says, leaning back “Did you help hide evidence?”

“I wanted the murder arrested, same as you. I did my job” Baekhyun huffs “You obviously know I left out the stuff about the killer’s blood in my report. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“Did you know the killer? Did you hide that from me too?” Junmyeon says getting angry himself. 

“No! Hyung! I just said, I wanted the killer caught!” Baekhyun yells “I’m sorry I didn’t report it but I didn’t do it to leave a murder at large!”

“Then why did you hide evidence!” Junmyeon yells “That could have led to an arrest years ago! You know Sehun had to suffer, not knowing who killed him!”

“I fucked up! I get it ok!” Baekhyun yells “but you don’t know what it’s like to do this job. People want results but they get really pissed if you give them something incomplete. I thought I could have lost my job, my career. I was a rookie and it was a rookie mistake, I would never do anything like that anymore but I had to make a name for myself first. I wasn’t going to falsify evidence so I hid it instead. It seemed like the better choice since they wouldn’t be able to use the information anyway.”

“You didn’t think we couldn’t use a partial?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Hyung, you’re a great person. You really are, but partials should not be used in crimes. They aren’t reliable, it would match the killer’s DNA but it could also match an innocent person” Baekhyun answers “I report them now but I strongly advise their dismissal.” 

“We could have at least known about the fact the guy put his blood Sehun, it could have helped!” Junmyeon yells “It would have made the ritualistic thing way more obvious!” 

“I know that now!” Baekhyun yells back “listen I said I’m sorry. If you’re going to arrest me, just do it. You heard everything I have to say.”

“I’m going to let you off with a warning” Junmyeon answers firmly “I know you won’t do it again and we found Sehun’s killer so... seems like there wasn’t much harm done. Sehun?”

“Hm?” Sehun hums. 

“Do you want me to arrest him?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Uh, can you even-” Sehun starts but Junmyeon gives him a look that seems to be screaming  _ shut up _ “no, I don’t want you to arrest him. I accept his apology.”

“This stays between us” Junmyeon says to Baekhyun. 

“I’m really sorry” Baekhyun says again “I can assume this means you won’t want to stay for dinner?”

“No” Junmyeon says firmly. 

“I understand” Baekhyun says, taking a deep breath “Maybe another time?”

“I don’t know about that” Junmyeon frowns “Come on Sehun, let’s go.”

“Uh- yeah ok” Sehun says before following Junmyeon who’s already leaving the room. 

Junmyeon quickly walks out of the house and Sehun has never seen him so angry. Sehun understands why but it’s still so distressing to see him like that. 

“Are you really done your friendship with him?” Sehun asks. 

“I don't know” Junmyeon says before walking out the door “I- I don’t know, I might not be able to talk to him again after that.”

“Don’t you still have to work with him?” Sehun asks. 

“I don’t have to be his friend” Junmyeon argues. 

“He did something wrong but he didn’t have malicious intentions” Sehun says softly “I just don’t want you to lose a friend over this.”

“I need some time to think about it” Junmyeon sighs before unlocking the car “thank you for thinking about me Sehunnie, I appreciate it.” 

“No problem” Sehun smiles before opening the car door and getting in “so now what?” 

“Are you hungry?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yeah” Sehun smiles. 

“Was it my turn to plan the next date?” Junmyeon mumbles to himself “I think we should go out for a celebratory dinner. Your case is finally done.” 

“I heard the new restaurant downtown has really good fillet mignon” Sehun says with a smile. 

“Is that meant to be a pun?” Junmyeon asks, chuckling a bit already. 

“Been three years, I figure it’s soon enough to joke about” Sehun laughs. 

“You are certainly a cutie” Junmyeon smiles before starting up the car. 

“What-“ Sehun starts before remembering that mignon means cute in French “oh my god!” 

“Are we canceling dinner now?” Junmyeon smiles at Sehun’s reaction. 

“Absolutely not” Sehun smiles before looking at Junmyeon's smile. It's always so beautiful to Sehun but he never stops being breath taken by it, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to see Junmyeon's smile and not be blown away “I’m so glad I’m alive.”

“I’m glad you are too” Junmyeon says with a small laugh.

“All because of you” Sehun flirts. 

“Yixing did most of it” Junmyeon points out. 

“Take the credit hyung” Sehun laughs “You also solved my case so I think the least I could do is repay you with my wonderful company at dinner.”

“That’s what this is? Repaying me?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Ok, maybe it’s just me wanting to go out with my boyfriend but you’ll never know” Sehun says quickly. 

“I think I know” Junmyeon chuckles while turning into a parking lot. 

“This isn’t the restaurant” Sehun says, looking at the hardware in front of them. 

“I know” Junmyeon says before putting the car in park “I just wanted to do something first.”

“Do what-” Sehun says but Junmyeon is unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the car “hyung?”

Junmyeon walks around the car and opens Sehun’s door before reaching his hand out for Sehun. Sehun takes his hand skeptically and gets out of the car. As Sehun stands up, Junmyeon gently pulls him a little closer. Junmyeon smiles softly as he reaches to place a hand on Sehun’s jaw, lightly brushing Sehun’s lips with his thumb. 

“You got out of the car just to kiss me?” Sehun smiles. 

“I’m romantic” Junmyeon smiles before leaning in “Sue me.”

Sehun closes the distance, slowly pressing his lips against Junmyeon’s. If Junmyeon wants romantic, that’s what Sehun will do. Sehun wraps one hand behind the back of Junmyeon’s neck and rests the other on Junmyeon’s shoulder. Sehun can feel Junmyeon smile into the kiss before running a hand down Sehun’s arm. When he reaches the end of Sehun’s bicep, Junmyeon pulls away. 

“So dinner now?” Sehun teases. 

“Alright fine, let’s go” Junmyeon smiles while rolling his eyes. 

The end. 

**Bonus scene:**

(I just wanted to imagine what happened with Jongin and Kyungsoo after Sehun left the day he had a fight with Jongin so here it is)

“I’m not lying Jongin, Kyungsoo hyung is here and I think you know that” Sehun says quickly “You can’t pretend you don’t feel someone grabbing you before you get hurt and keeping you safe, you can feel it! Don’t lie to yourself! You know Kyungsoo-”

“I told you I didn’t want him to hear this!” Kyungsoo yells in frustration before pinching Sehun “I said that specifically!”

“-ow! Hyung fuck off! I’m trying to salvage this!” Sehun yells. 

“You’re not doing a good job!” Kyungsoo yells back.

“Clearly he wants you to leave too, so get out!” Jongin yells in a mocking tone.

“Fine but if you find that I’m right and that you want to give Yixing a shot, call me!” Sehun says shoving a paper with his address and number into Jongin’s palm “And hyung! I know you don’t want to freak Jongin out but I’ve ruined that anyway so just make your existence extra obvious. Hold his hands, kiss him, whatever you can! At least then I might have a chance of bringing you back!” 

“Leave before I call the police!” Jongin yells. 

“I’m leaving!” Sehun says walking straight out the door. 

Jongin and Kyungsoo watch Sehun leave. Once the front door slams shut, Jongin lets out a deep breath and lets himself fall onto the couch. 

“God!” Jongin says, sounding hurt “every time I think I can handle it, it gets worse!” 

“Baby please don’t be upset” Kyungsoo says before rushing to Jongin’s side “this is exactly why I told him I didn’t want you to know.” 

“Who does he think he is to tell me if my husband is a ghost or not?” Jongin mumbles to himself. 

“He is kind of the only person who could tell you... except for the wizard dude, I guess” Kyungsoo answers. 

“Kyungsoo’s not a ghost” Jongin says slowly “He's dead- he’s gone and he won’t come back either! It’s so messed up to lie like that- I”

“I might be pissed at Sehun but he definitely wasn’t lying” Kyungsoo says, wishing so deeply that Jongin could hear his words. 

“T-there’s no such thing as ghosts” Jongin says as a tear runs down his face. 

Kyungsoo debates doing what Sehun said he did with Junmyeon but if Kyungsoo kissed his tears, Jongin would lose his mind, even more than he is now. 

“T-there just isn’t!” Jongin croaks. 

“Ghosts are real Nini” Kyungsoo says sadly watching his husband cry “I’m here.”

“Just-no” Jongin mumbles between sobs “if hyung were here, I would know.” 

“I haven’t really made it obvious” Kyungsoo answers. 

“He would tell me” Jongin says, sounding like he’s trying to reason with himself “but he hasn’t because he’s not here, he’s gone! Sehun is wrong!” 

“Honey you wouldn’t handle it well if I showed you I was here” Kyungsoo says softly. 

“H-hyung” Jongin sobs. 

“I’m sorry Jongin” Kyungsoo says, trying to hold back his own tears. 

“Are you really here?” Jongin asks. 

“You don’t really want me to show you” Kyungsoo answers. 

“P-please” Jongin says as his voice cracks “I need to know.”

“I’ve been here the whole time” Kyungsoo answers before putting a hand on Jongin’s cheek “all 8 months.” 

“No” Jongin says, raising his hand to the cheek Kyungsoo’s hand is on “can’t be.”

“You ask me to do it Nini” Kyungsoo answers before pulling away “I can’t say no to you. Not when you’re crying.” 

“That doesn’t make sense-“ Jongin says, starting to look concerned. 

“That’s why I never told you” Kyungsoo says sadly. 

“Hyung how do I know it’s you?” Jongin asks in a panic “you could be any- anything. How can I trust it’s you?” 

“Uh” Kyungsoo pauses trying to think of something “I don’t know, it’s not like I can do a whole lot.” 

“If there’s a ghost or whatever- I-I could die!” Jongin says as his brain starts to reason everything he’s experiencing “oh god, what if-“

“Jongin” Kyungsoo says, placing a hand on each of Jongin’s shoulders “I would never hurt you.” 

“I’m scared” Jongin whispers. 

“I’m so sorry Nini” Kyungsoo says before rubbing Jongin’s arm “I don’t want to scare you but I don’t know what to do.” 

“Hyung you left me alone” Jongin says sadly. 

“Not by choice” Kyungsoo answers. 

“You were here but you let me cry alone” Jongin says as another tear forms in his eyes. 

“I didn’t, I was always there” Kyungsoo says before grabbing Jongin’s hands “I couldn’t tell you I was a ghost, I knew you would freak out. I did it for you. I would have wanted to hold you and kiss you and comfort you but it wasn’t about me. I needed you to be ok. The only time I could touch you was when you were in danger and probably wouldn’t notice anyway.”

“I don’t know if I believe this” Jongin says quickly “I can feel it but-“

“I know it’s hard” Kyungsoo nods. 

“Hyung if this is really you. I love you” Jongin says looking at his hands “if it’s not you, these words are only for my husband and you shouldn’t listen. I miss you, I miss you every single day. I look at the spice rack in the kitchen and I remember how excited you were to start cooking with white pepper. I remember how mad you were when I thought it tasted the same as black pepper.”

“That was so stupid” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“I look at the anime videos that are still in your watchlist and I think about how you thought you’d get to watch them but you can’t” Jongin says softly. 

“Actually I did watch them” Kyungsoo smiles a little. 

“I look at our bedsheets and I think about the day you picked them out. Hyung you’re everywhere in this house and I never forget you. Every day I think about you, every day I think about how much I love you.” Jongin says “but you’re not here. I can’t let myself have that hope. It would hurt too much.”

“Sehun came back” Kyungsoo says “You can have me back Nini, you just need to believe Sehun.”

Jongin starts crying harder and Kyungsoo just tries to hold Jongin’s hand to comfort him. He traces small circles on the back of Jongin’s hand with his thumb hoping the motion will soothe Jongin but he doesn’t seem to be paying much attention. 

“I love you so much Jongin” Kyungsoo says trying to hold his own tears “I miss you, I can see you but you don’t see me and it hurts. I know you’re suffering more but I’m hurt too and I miss you too.”

“I-I don’t think I can accept this” Jongin croaks through his tears “I feel it, I know I can feel you holding my hand but it just doesn’t make any sense. None of this makes sense! I don’t know how to feel.”

“Take your time Nini” Kyungsoo says softly “I’ll stay here, holding your hand whenever you want. I’ll be here to show you I’m really here. Sehun’s right, the cats out of the bag, the best thing I can do is prove to you that I’m really here.”

“Hyung” Jongin sobs looking at his hand before turning it around and feeling for Kyungsoo’s hand, he manages to interlock his fingers with Kyungsoo’s “I want this to be real but I just-”

“I know” Kyungsoo nods. 

“I feel like I’m going to wake up and this won’t be real” Jongin says before squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand a bit “It feels so  _ weird _ .”

“I’ll make sure to keep doing this Jongin” Kyungsoo answers “I’ll make sure you can believe I’m real. I’m not a dream.”

Kyungsoo lets go of Jongin’s hand, instead, he leans up and kisses Jongin’s cheek. He’s missed the feeling and while it’s not quite the same as kissing him when he’s alive, it still manages to make Kyungsoo’s heart swell. 

“I-I need a nap or something” Jongin says rubbing his cheeks “I just-”

“A nap sounds like a good idea, clear your mind” Kyungsoo smiles “A lot has happened today.”

Kyungsoo follows Jongin around as he gets ready for his nap. He wishes he could crawl under the covers with Jongin but he can’t move that much, he can touch Jongin. Maybe pick up something super light, although he’s never really tried, but he can’t move the blankets. So instead he settles for a kiss on the forehead and watches his husband drift off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I base Sehun and Junmyeon’s final kiss off the fake one they did during Elyxion? You have no proof.
> 
> It's over :( I'm gonna miss this fic. I hope you all enjoyed reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to know what theories about Sehun’s death you had while reading.


End file.
